The Markandeya Puranam

inc

MARKAllDEYA PURANAM,

TRAli SLATED FROia THE ORIGIN
INTO ENGLISH

ClUna CHANDRA II0KERJI5

4n Enflui Transitin' ifliimsytnnt'itA Kcm VtinanA &t

So-SPw

IMUK

rosusuBD d;
PROSDHNO COOMAR SEN

rEIRTeD SY

Gi«iSH Chandra Chakbavarti
Om Ptm 6/ Jtirufur StrtH

cixcum.

im.

I Cfl/J ri^hlJifsrr-tJ ]

MARKANDEYA PURANA*M

IS

AJSr DEMOLISH GA.E,B.

Fkc Germanic concepiion of a World Iitcratufc broaclicd
before the Western public by the Poet phiJosopher
of the century— Goethe— IS fraught with momentoos conse
qucnccs to the culture and advancement of humanity
When the literature of every civilised nation, retaining
Its own individualit] , embodies and embosoms the literatures
of the other nations on the globe, a common intellectual
platform shall have been attained bj mankind and the entire
human family shall be furnished with a common stock of
thoughts and sentiments That such ‘a consummation' is
*dc>oulI> to be wished can admit of no question considering
that mtcllcctua! unity needs most understand that interna
lional combination and co operation which is essential to the
advance of humanity in its highest and widest acceptation
l^kcd at in tins sublime light the labours of one engaged
m interpreting th** life and mind of the ancient Hindus count
as of umiucsiionablc stcrlmg worth— the rather that the
Hindus of old provided by nature with an eminent mental
t ndovvnicnt had addressed themselves avsiduouviy in cultivat-
ing tluir l>ovv err bequeathing to {>o«tcrit} labours, which, but*

II

for their being couched m a difficult irTid dead tongue, nouM
perhaps have powerfully influenced and shaped the
•succeeding thouglit of the world A person employed in
translating a Sanskrit work into English may be likened
to one removing the bushel covering and hiding a lamp,
and placing the same on a hill top, so that all may be
gladdened with its beneficent beams English is the language
of a Sovereign on whose spacious dominions the all beholding
and world circumambulating Sun never sets , and for a book
to be brought from the dark vault of a dead language forth
into the living light of such an oncas English, is to become
a possession *for ever,' — to be converted into a force capable
of swaying the destinies of men in general A happy day
it shall be both for India and England and through England,
for the world at large when all that lies entombed in Sanskrit
shall have been so redeemed —and, being fused into the
intellcctuanea\en of the West, shall help in furthering the
dearest interests of our race

An English >ersion of such a work as the Markandeya
Purana cannot fail to be interesting to many The student
of religion will find herein a rich harvest industriously
garnered by our sages applying all ihcir powers to the
consideration of spiritual problcrns of the highest import
The antiquary will meet with various manners and customs
interesting and instructive, over which Ins ingenuity in
interpretation will have free scope for its CTcrcise The
student of history will study a social organism M«/^ucinits
kind, which, although novv empty of its former informing
spirit, continues holding the Hindu races together The
functionary of iiovemment bringing his imaginative resources
into requisition will attain a far deeper insight into the
genius and idiosj ncracies of the nation Ilian a study of tlic
•iurface of the present Hindu sociel} will enable him to
acquire , nor need the notion that the socict) depicted in
the Sanskrit work belonged !o a far past, and that as such

nolhing can be safdly inferred from lliat to the society as it
exists, — hamper him, seeing that, in the words of Professor
Monier Williams, *in India the lapse of centuries cannot
bring any radical change m the manners and customs of the
Hindus,' whose conservatism is almost proof against Time
and his devastations

The Markandiya Puranant is one of those religious
treatises of the Hindus that come home to their business and
bosoms It contains incidents and characters that appeal
powerfully to the popular fancy, while its high morality and
wealth of instruction must ever enlist the regard of those
setting store hy that wisdom which u mere precious than rubies
or gold One portion of the work in particular has won for
itself an imperishable place in the heart and home of the
Hindu— namely, the celebrated Hymn to C/iandi, called after
her name This Hymn 15 regarded as the highest expression
of man's aspiration after the Infinite— the crowning mercy of
the inspiring afflatus, under the dominance of which the Word
IS not so much uttered as forced out from the heart by a mys>
terious Something, which in itself the person concerned com-
prehends not, although he is compelled to be its instrument

This version will, we presume, not be entirely unworthy
of public acceptance, seeing that it emanates from an expen
enced pen, to which, among other things is to be ascribed
the major portion of the English Ramayana of Babu
Manmatha Nath Dutt, which for sometime was connected with
the English translation of Bibu Protdp Chunder Roy’s Maha-
bharata, which has turned into English the Narl Vtjnana
of Sankara Sen, and which is at present employed on an
English version of the Hindu pathoI<^^ named Ntdana

'^jiir'oeSt ‘Vaarl'Ks are‘’oiie‘ruT^nibrt£'^iira’J4 jm3r’{va'P7rarna
—whose eminent attainments in Sansknt are well known to
all— as well for his having originally suggested to its the
rendering of the Markandeya Purana, as for his kind offer “
of help ifi evplainng obscure or abstruse points in the text

Other reputed scholars also— among whom may be mentioned
B5bu Harifchandra Kaviratna, Professor of Sanskrit in
the Presidency College — have favored us w:tli assurances of
assistance.

Avgust, i8p3’

Publisher

MARKANDEYA

CHAPTER I

OM ’* Salutation unto the reverend Vasiideva t May
those tivo lotus-fect of Harit capable of destroying the
alTficlions arising from the fear of existence, being
approached (m spirit), arc worshipped by of quiescent

souls , and which, manifesting themselves, by turns enveloped
heaven, earth and the nether sphere,!)— purify you • May He

• This woid II altered ai a holy eeelamation at the eDtnmeiieenent aod
end fit a teadidf; fit th« Vtiat, ot befoie the commenctn^ant ot ■ prayer or a
Sifired Wfifti Ib later time* 'On' at cotapoanded oE « ami »i, meanl
reapeelieely £i«4, and Srohms It i* aiQtlly terTned rraenrit — T

f Lit VasuXnat son— a common detignalion ot Ktiihna, one oi the
laearoalionj, and by far the niotl popular one of FiJmu —y,

t Another name of and oae of tE>e (noit popalir ef hit appella

tlona,->-it It teritabty a hontefiofJ word in o«r ioeie(> cotnir^ home (o the
butiRCtt and botoms of '311 alike from the pimte to the peasant and lo
separably asioeiated tkroagh daily ceirency wUh the chequered warp and
wool oE exlsttnee —T.

{ Persons sabjectins themtelrrs tocertain pby»c\l processes Eor briRQir;;
Ihe mental toiees to a (ocas and d reeling them to the toqi^^nplaiion of the
D'-iiy The sictuei attributed lo these practices xoinc rfder the name cd
arc cxrraordirra/f and irovld hardly cnlrrt the eredence of lEe eoirimcn
tan el me» , bat perjcni who eait lam an oppeoairoateconcrptior vl the
narreltans powers with which matter and mind wsuld stem (e hs fraught,
would not jierhaps be SO sceptical.— T

S t'j/< kiny ol the Aturai, had crown eery Brropsni on iccoon' ef h,t
power I'isVsa asiumins the Eatrpof a dwarf prtscnic<l befa,*

aod ai'sed lot alms Tbrrcvpsiit the diura ku)£ arbrd tim ai to wtut he

«5'

mXrkandc\a purXnam

that, capable of rising Sin, lay tiown on the Serpent* repos-
ing in the depths of the Milky main, and by i\Iiosc association
the Ocean terrific with the hcaMng surges of its waters,
seemed to dance (in derighl),— protect yoiil

Having bowed unto /Vrfraytfw/i.tand Nara, the foremost of
Male-beings, as well as the goddess, Sarasv>at{,\ should one
utter Victory

V}asa's^ disciple, the exceedingly energetic Jaimint,
ashed the mighty 2 .sc(i\.\c—‘JtInrktiMJeya — always engaged in
asceticism and the study of the Vcda,-^“0 worshipful one,
the story of Bh&rata^ bath been related by the high-souled
Vynsn. Replete with shining expressions and various
branches of knowledge, containing various metres and figures
nf rhetoric, adorned with excellent words, furnished with
questions and thciransvvcrs, resembling Vishnu among the im-
mortals, and Brfihmana^i, among the bipeds, the matchless jewel
on the crest of a diadem among all ornaments,— resembling
the thunder-bolt among weapons,? and mind among the

moulShavr, and the Cwvct replied that aM tint he wanted wvs si much earth
as could be covered by hi$ three steps VoU laughed at this , but the BrShnana
persisting, the king at last agreed, whereupon ruAitu, assuming his gigaotie
(vira^d] shape, covered heaven, earth and the nether regions with his three
paces and took the conceit eat of F<i/i — T

• The hundred hooded Ananla, the couch ot TiiAnu and sometimes
considered as an incarnation of Fiiftnn himself He reposed on the serpent
floating on the Milky main at the time o( creation — T

t An epithet of Vishnu referring to the circumstance of his having
reposed on the ocean at the time of crution — T
t The goddess ot Learning and Mus c

4 The reputed author of the great Epic — AfnAaiAirafa, Zelebrating the
deeds of the Kur^s and the PHtuIus descendants of the Lunar line of king*

1! Mahibharala is sometimes so termed

^ Ancient Hindu society was broadly divided into the four orders of
Drihmanas Kshairtyas, Vaifyas and Sudrat —each performing a separate
class of functions, those performed by iJj^siartOj being the spiritual guidance
of the cominunity— T

5 It 15 the weapon wielded by Ihc sovereign of the celestials, India Forged
from the bone of the saint, DaJhnii, with this he routed the Asuras and

mXrkande\a pukAnam

3

organs*, — on earth Maha.hhar(tia is the foremost of all the divi
sions of learning In it are described together and separately
Interest, Virtue, Desire and Deliverance t TJiis is the croivn of
sciences conversant with Virtue, the best of sciences treating
of Interest, the first of sciences discoursing on Desire, and
the consunrmation of sciences discussing Deliverance (In
MahaBkaraia) have been described by the emmentfy righteous
and intelligent Vedavyata the practices, r%ays of living and
the attainment of the respective objects relative to the four
modes of life % And, O sire, Vyasa of noble acts hath so
composed this, that although tlie great work is extensive yet
it seemeth to be free from contradictions This earth hath
been deprived of its dust by the watery surges of Vyasa’s
words descending from the mount of the Veda, capable of up
rooting the trees of false arguments The spacious lake df
the Veda by Krishna^ hath for its swans dulcet terms, for
its lovely lotuses mighty anecdotes, for its expanse of waters
the (various) sayings constituting (the book) And for this it
is that, 0 reverend fsage), 1 have presented mysejf before
you for learning from you faithfully this fraught with pregnant
sense and containing the Srutts\\ in detail Why, albeit void
of attributes, did yanarddana (or) Veesudeva, the cause of the
creation, maintenance and destruction of the universe assume
humanity ? And how did Drupada s daughter — Kris/iti<t —
alone become the wife of the five sons of Great

distod^ed them from hea\en which they had forcibly usurped driving the
celestials away~T

* Mind in Hindu phibsophy isanofsaa of sense

t These accord to the Hindu authorities constitute the objects of
human etistence all actions may fall ojider one or other of l^ese heads — T
< ^ The life ut a student that of a householder that of an anchoret and that

cl a mend cant Every Hindu diserved h# taros these modes of fife— T

i Knthna Dwatpuyana Vy&^a

n Jz-kA— audition— IS a name of Ihe Vrdas cons! tutJng ihe revelation in
contrad st action to S nri/i— memory— tiaditwn these two broadly dividing the
scriptures of the Hindus

4

mXrk.\vdc\a purXn\m

certainly is oiir doubt on this point And how did the
exceedingly mighty having a plough for his iveapon

expiate his sm ol having slam a DriJmtana by resorting to
holy spots? And why did those great car-a\ amors, the
high souled sons of Drttupadi, having the Pandavas for
t^eir support, meet with their deaths like ones forlorn
before they had entered into matrimony ^ AW this it be*
hoveth you to relate unto me at length, (for) jou are ever
the cause of enlightening people of dull apprehension ”
Hearing these words of his, the miglity ascetic
free from the ten and eight faults, t prepared to relate And
Markandeya said *0 best of ascetics the hour for
performing my ntes hath come, and this is not the fit time
for expatiating (oxer tint topic) But now I shall mention
unto thee those birds that, O ymmuu, shall nd thee of thy
doubts Those foremost of fowls, coriNcrsant with the
masteries of knowledge and ever intent on it— Drena's
sons, Pingiisha, Vthodha Suputra and SiimitUia, whose
intelligence is free coursing in penetrating into the profundities
of Vntiitka lore live in a cave of the Vindhya Do thou
present th) self before them and ask them (for the knowledge
tint thou art in search of)” Thus accosted by the intelligent
Markandeya, that powerful sage, with Ins c^es expanded with
dchi’lit answered thus And Jittmint spoke ”0 Hrnhmanii,
tint birds should speak like human being*! is strange, but that
twrds should attain to knowledge of the highest order is more
wonderful still If they have spuing from a bcasti) line,
whereform could the) attain to knowledge, and whj, again,
an. the) called the sons o\ Drona ^ And who, besides is
who Lath these four sons horn to liim ? And how,
further did those high souled ones endowed witli virtue

* Droihfi «>l A'liAna

♦ rtlMp fr»f nnjcrr slopfcatoii irroj»ncr rfgl rcbcp

i{ M fnTrtca,nea» BWl ce ««»jr mitretrity fi'ictowJ inrj>.Iiljr
puiMl It »b 1 111 Ufif^ •

mXrkandeya PURXN'AM

7

<eeing that one e^erj' Ijinb of whom tras endoived R-rth
loveliness, the ascetic, restrainloi; his mind, knew that she
had come to disturb his heart ; and thereat he tras wronght up
nith wrath and indignation* And then the great sage,
practising rigid austerities, spoke unto faer,-~'As, O thou'
intoxicated by pride, O thou who rangest the sky, for working
me noe thou hast come to disturb my. austerities earned
here after mighty ado, so, befouled in consequence of my
wrath, thou, O thou of perrerse understanding, shaft be bom
in the race of birds (and lead that life) for tnehe years And,
0 worst of Apiaras, .0 thou who wilt assume the form of a
fcmale;foi\l, four sons shall be bom of ihce Without,
howeser, attaining any delight in them, thou, sanctified by (the
wound in/lictcd) by a neapon, shalt again take up thy abode

* A*on\a. gerenfir n«ass «rs'ir/, etc, bst fcere, 1 feBCjr, Ue
«en«e u Ct u (&is ■si!e5oiteB*es tfeat SBiroteds Seaiknt terns

that rreien the ke^fe tc IiUle «uecptibte cfao c( reality like that

infomie; laeh i Uninage u Eegtab , eed it ts« this absence of deEni'enMS
«o the «i|n>£catiea e! Seatkmt ererds that great}/ tucs (he j^dirrneatef
the tnaaktst I will, b/ «*r iVmtra’icg ny taeanm/, tiu ao example,
all the mare rx’aable ai it as conBeetci! witb dj irtaal experience at that
time * I was tncsUlu !2 the beaB'lfal episode of the A'aAjiAlrata abvat A’a’a
and CaweyantC Ccoing epen the tern /a/j/e I was at a loss to

cone at the true tneanrrg ci the terci. I bad at fast recoerie to mj /'arj i who,
althosgH igsorxBt c( Eegliih, did sot eo~ie {rca a tM be* wxs a stsdert cf the
Saniknt Colley cf Cales'tx. He said, 'The lem means a G^vet t^n

No*, allbcogb t^e word mig>t bear this sigmSca'ion, yet ea the yioand cf
coffimoa seeie, it cca’d sot bear that sense in (he paisig* whKh ran some
what as fs’lows i— Frcoi joeder the road diridrs ttttlf

icto two* Can XBj seas'bSe persee thisk cf sa/iag to an eeipycr •» Fran

the ip«t srhere iVe tern /* fiawe* !•«», the road diridesele. f* What in
ferrca'iSB woaH this orry? At Ieny*’i it a'raek ne thll/a.'J;aJAanda
cieae^ « Irert ^patifaWm “SVe Jwli}w f -'sret \»ref Tny ert. a Yr»rti(t
trees wosI-J be* eo-rpicBBarcbcetaed thenKje rerwooLicaii'/ £ed It.
Frera this I' IS apparest that ibeei cf qBa*''ca‘«sa cf »a Eej’ iS traesVer
c( Sasshnt if oc* trxtb ersd-’ija m a sonni ri-f"'*'* crai'aj I m to
liTtn psc'orei cat cf the is-jje» w'xpped np la^th* hit sets asd cctetcrt 1 /
itscpsrahlc frem »sch a tsrjne at Sanskrit,— T

s \tXRkA\DE\A PURASAM

m the celestial regions Thou must not return nn^ repl> '
Having made that mortified damsel of tremulous bangles
hear this unbearable ^eedi, the Vtpra,* leading the Earth
furnished uith the of liquid 11*3^ es retraced his steps
to the celestial ondowed with Mrtues famed (far and

wide) "

CHAPTER ir

^fARKA^OE\A said — Anshfanmi's son was named
GarifrcJ— king of birds and Garura had a son born to hint
celebrated as Sampaft And he liad a heroic son^S«/nrf-c'a
—endowed with the might of the Wind And Supxr^va s «on
was Kuushht^ and KnmhhPs son w as And he

had two soTis-^Kunka and Kaadhara }( And it came to pa«>
that in a peak of Kitihfa Kattia sair a Kaktfiata ^ — an
attendant of the Destower of riches— furnished withcjcs
resembling lotus petals renowned (under the name of/
Vid)udrupa ? (who) wearing a sfiming wreath and attir.
and seated with his wife on a beaulitul stone slab was

• A u so c»ll«3

t Th«re art three Can/Ji one tn Wwn a irtosa in lit n> d r»g 0r>«
^martla U\a) the earth and a th rJ In the neihtr »phere The Carji
IS the most sacred of ttream* and the mer t flarnnK from her srarers to cne
ihalpetformtahl i onun them »♦ tomeote — oar it fi M d be wahe tf
wash ng c? Che demised spot of wordef etC—^T

t Ther!hchclIiii>i 0

f Some leal* hatre A»»<<

I Some text* read for A««<Un>«

*■ The A’JiiAiMa are ealurallj ea 1 feed nj on Coh djJ arh rj ft! s e«i
t trt etc — T

* 1. 1.«— ti/Slajer trrel/

MXRKANRF\A rURXs’AM

9

cn{pgc<l in tlrmking. And soon as lie had been seen h)*
Kania, Ihc /\a(s/ia, (»ro\\mg enraged, spoke to liitn • 'Where*
from comest thou hither, O worst of oviparous ones? WJj)
dost Ihou come to me, who am sealed in company with m>
wife? Tins is not the way of Ihc sensible with reference to
things sacred to seercej.* Kanta said,— ‘This foremost
mountains is common property . U is as much mine or ollicrs*
as joitrs. What (special) affection do joa clicrisli for this ? ’
hJ'irkantlfya continued —"When Katika had rpoVen ihus,
the Ixakihata cut him down ssith his swonl,— and llirrcat
looVed frightful with blood guiliing (down his pemon),
—and, deprited of Ids senses, he tossed al>out restlessly.
And hearing Kania slain. Chat lord of osiparous ones,
KanJKara, tr.tnjported l>> passion, «rt his he.trt upon sitting
Vut^utiruya And repairing to llitl mountain-pcaV where
Kankx wts I)jng shun, thnl bird performed lh<* funereal ritei
of his elder hrether And then with Ins e)rs roUing in irr,
h*', sighing like a nighty serpent, bent hn course to where
that the sh}Cf of his hroibff sras And shak-
ing the hills svith tl- nighty blast ol his wi*ig». and

10

WiCnKANDEVA PURXnAM

with hjs irame filled with fuiy, Kartdhflra addressed tint one
staying in that hedlow of the mountain, saying, — 'Thou
wretch ' give me battle here As tliou baclst shin my
confiding brother, thee shall I despatch to the abode of Yama
To day slain by me, thou shaft go to the hell which is designed
for those slaymgthe confiding, women, or boys Markandeya
went on "TIius addressed then by that foremost of fon Is
in the very presence of his wife, the Raksha replied unto the
bird, who was overcome with wrath 'If I have slain thy
brother, I have thereby certainly shown my prowess Thee
also, 0 ranger of the au, shill I slay with this sword of mine
Stay a moment Living, O vilest of birds, thou shaft not
hence' Saying this he seiaed a sword resembling a mass of
collynum in splendour And then there tool, place a mighty
encounter between that king of birds and the lord of YakshaS',
like unto the encounter that had happened between Ctfr-wr'iJ
and Bakra And then flying into a viratli, the Ri.kihasa
whirling his sword having the hue of extinguished charcoal,
hurled the same at that foremost of birds And thereat, c\cn
as (larura tak^h up a snake, that lord of birds, lifting it up a
little from the ground, held it with hia beak And then
snapping it with his beak and talons, that oiiparous one was
wrought up with wrath And on his sword being broken,
there took place a hand to hand combat (between them)
And then assailing the at tlit chest, the king of

birds severed his entrails, feel, hands and head (from his
trunk) On his having been slun, the woman sought the
protection of the bird And with her fear somewhat raised,
she said,— ‘I w ould be thy wife ' And taking her, that best of
birds came* back to bis abode {KandfiaraJ, having slim
Vidyudrupa, att-wned case on the score of his brother's death
And going to (he house of Aanirtonr.lhat daughter of Mznuk f
furnished with fair eye brows, capable of assuming forms it
her will, wore the form ol a funalc bird And tbta on licrbc
licgat a daughter named rnrifx/ 1 — even that inragon among

M/CrKANDCYA rUR^NAKf

is

Righteousness^ came to the side of S/i^ntami'si son for the
purpose of hearing the exhaustive discourse on religion from
the high souled DhUma And it so happened that one named
Samtka, who had practised self.<oi»tro!, came to the place
where, O best of the t« ICC bore, the eggs lay luthin the bell
And there he heard the inarticulate cries, which, although they
had attained full sense, (the offspnng within j the eggs « ere
emitting owing to their infancy And thereat the sage, struck
with surprise, uprooted the bell, and saw those offspring
having neither father nor mother And seeing them lying on
the earth, that reverend ascetic — seized vith
surprise, addressed the tmcc*boro ones following him,—
‘Seeing the Dattya forces harassed by the celestials, fly away,
well did that first of the twice born, l/fatta Suira himself
say — Donotlly Desist Wbilbcr go je in distraction?
Wherever may ye betake yourselves, resigning heroism and
fame, ye must not die As ye have been crented by the
Deity, 80, so long as It IS not His will (that yc shall die), Inc
ye must so long, whether ye light or not Some die in their
own homes , and others while flying , and (ethers) rnaet with
extinction while engaged m eating meats and drinking water,
and others, «gain, come under the subjection of the king of
the dead, enjoying nil the luxuries of life, possessing healthy
bodies, and without having their persons wounded with
weapons And others engaged in asceticiim, are carried off
by the folJoivcrs of the sovereign of the dead , and others
while practising yega , but none hath attained immortaht)
vrormerly the thiinder-lianded one had hurled the thunder bolt
s.iSapivara , — and thereat, albeit smitten at the chest, jet
the Asttra did not die But when the tunc came,

* D^etmeipuUa, a name ot }«<niMI(nni dilcit ol the rjndui niih
rcFerence to hii Immacalate monl^ lie }> fact bemc locked upon as the mirror
of morality and tighleousnctV by the tfinifaa

t rtfikma—a tedaubUbU hero fighbasssaintl the tin tjrat—-T
J A rlars ot eetm es a( the cclcittale onjer varloui ilcjtaoalloni**
VaUjm Dinaras Asuras, \i!airyatIkt^T

MArKANDE\A PUR<N\\t

13

struck \\ith tlic \ciy same thunderbolt and by the Acry
same /«///•/?, met lAjth death Knoning tljjs, jc should not
suffer jourscKes to be o\emhcIined with fear Do je turn
back— Thereat, the Daitjas, casting off the fear of death,
stopped, and those words of ha\e been \enficd b}

these foremost of fowls, who ha\e esc^ed destruction e%en in
this encounter that js more than mortal What, 0 Vtpras,
uas the fall of the birds, and nhat, the simultaneous
fall of the bell; and what,* again, the warfare coAcrirg
the earth up with flesh, fat and blood ? Who, 0 Vipras,
may these birds be ? These are no common (owls The
fator of the deities bnngeth exalted luck in this world’
Haiing deJnered himself thu^ he, seeing them, again spake
•Stop Go ye to the hermitage, taking the > oung ones of the
birds And do }e place these oviparous fowls at a spot
where cats or rats, hawks or mungooses may not approach
Or, >e twice bern, wrhat need of over care ? E\er> creature
liteth orcometh by death by virtue of rts own acts,— and even
so will Jt be With these >oung of fonis And ytt should man
take ,proper care in alt that he docth If one doth not put
forth one's exertions, one reapeth the censure of the good 't

• The particle kva u idiomatic m Saosknt. impbins great disparity — T
t The translator may be indulged m the liberty oP observing that lU this
precious passage the sage Samfta points out (be appropriate attitude of every
intclligest person in all fits actions lO tins vrorld On the one hand, the
tremendous force of the fated COTlroas us a|{ hke a trail of adamant defying
removal , on the other, the ever ondyang and ineffaceable consciousness of
lad ridual ty An inteflectual compromise is accordingly the most rational
position ivhicb a man can- take Dp amidst buioao affairs, — so that cn the one
band he may never in the least slacken personal endeavonr so long as there
IS scope for it, cor on the other in case of fiiscarriage suffer the b’ast of
despair to bloir over bis heart and reduce it to a desert, Thi/fiie/rades/ia one
of the crovTiog mercies Df^liteialnre in the sphere of morals Justly calls this
conception of our tcUtion to this world as the soverc gn remedy for all the
evils of esisteoce This doctnoe of an wtellcctoal coaipromise also occurs in
various other Sanskrit works among which may he mentioned the 5uira At/i
o!Bairjc/„rj,^a In the face ol s«h a tact rt is rather unlair to tax the

14

mXrkandeva purXnam

Thus directed then those sons of ascetics, taking the joung

of fowls went to their own hermitage, beautified with the
presence of anchorets, where black bees swarmed round the
boughs of trees And according to his desire gathering
from the forest roots, flowers, fmits, kufa 8ic, that best of the
twice born performed various religious rites prescribed by the
Sruli, connected with the worship of the Clcahrayttdhaf.'')
Rudra,(^ Vedhas,^^ Surendra,{^ Vaiva5tvata,(‘) yata-
vedasa/fi the lord of waters, (ri the lord of speech, W the
protector of nches/O Sctmiram.O) D}iAta,i‘‘'i VtdhatcdS) and
the Vtiwadevas"^”')

CHAPTER III

MAruanocva went on —"0 foremost of Vtprat, day
after day that great ascetic tended those (young of birds) with
food and natcr and protected them (duly) And -m the course
of a single month, tiiey gared at by the sons of ascetics with
eyes expanded with admiring %\onder, betook Ihemschcs to
the course of the Sun’s carW And having surveyed the

ansi«nt HiflJas with cnterlurung (lie raw doctrine cl whit h^tK fcten slylctl

bjiMilI ‘Aiiatie FatAllam or the PaUlmnoICEdiptt!’ I'idr An fxoniKalwn
ef Sir W }!annhiin—T

{•>) A nitne e( Visinu, wbo bean a ducal (S) An appellation ef ^irr>
(c) A name cf Drahmi (d) A name ot Mm ncanias tlie Mra of the
celestial) (0 Kiwii tbe Hinda Plat* (Tt*® F'f' (f) Named

I'drufiiz (il) Vrihasfi/tti ipUitnal preeepte* ol tbe deitiM (A NimeJ

Autera OJ The fod d wind {l)On«o{the twtl»e Adiljat (/> A nime
ct /IraVml (n creator of lh« worid) (si)Al>oopd deities ttep »re pi'rt'C*
hri/ wortliipped on the occasion o( fuaeral «tn«iaiM Moreover oFtiirct ibould
be made to them daily

<ii) The Sen goes round ihe aVy daily m bUoae wheeled ear

mXrkandeya porXnam

15

Ea-th, resembling the wheel o{ a car* containing cities and
seas and mighty rivers, those high souled ones unborn of any
female vessel, with their minds and bodies entirely spent,
returned to the hermitage And by virtue of theirf potency,
(their) understandings unfolded that place And it came
to pass that as once on a day (SaimJka) having compassion
on his disciples, was holding forth unto them on the certainties
of religion, all those (birds) going round him, bowed down
unto his feet, and said "O ascetic, we have been preserved
(by thee) from a dreadful death in the forest , and, having
given us shelter, food and drink, thou hast proved our sire
and spiritual guide Our mother had died while yet we were
in her womb,— -and no father hath brought us up And as
thou hast preserved us in our infanc), thou hast (m fact)
given us our very lives Pushing away the bell of the
elephant, thou, 0 thou of undetenoraling energy, didst remove
our misery wlulu we lay on the earth, drying up like (so many )
earth worms— How shall these Jrail ones grow up ? When
sholl i see them strong ? When shall I see them rise up from
the earth and range from tree to tree? And when shall
this my native brightness be soiled ^>ith the dust raised
by the blast of their wings, as they shall be going around
me? — with such thoughts (coursing in thy mind) hast thou,
O sire, brought us up And now that we have grown up and
attained access of intelligence, wliat shall we do? Hearing
this articulate aud rcUncil speech of tlicirs, llic sage surrounded
by all his disciples and his son, Snwgi — seized with curiosity,
with his down standing on end, said 'Do yc trulIifuUy say
how ye can utter speech, and by whose curse it was (hat jc
had come by this miscbicaous transformation touchingyour
form and speech This )c should tell me ’ Thtrcat the birds

* Th I wouTd thew (hat ibeancKtit lliiufiii at anf rale Ihoso conirm
poranreqs » th ihe compar (ion ol the t/iflanJrja f urina hadfoirncda
fjiiljr accurate conception of the alupe ci the Cartii — T
f Of Ihe CKClicr th^t Ir

MinKANDCVA PURAMM

i5

said ‘Formcrlj there was id eminent ascetic famed under
the name of Vipidas^ax He had i couple of sons born to
liim, Sti^risAa and Tumburu Of the ascetic Stikrtsha,
holding himself in CQnfr6l, we ire the four sons e\er observant
of hunuht}, good conduct, and reference Wlide he uas
engaged m performing penances with Ins senses restrained,
according to lus desire we used to procure sacrificial fuel,
flowers, and other necessaries Thus did he and we live in
that wood Once on a tune the sovereign of the celestnis
wearing the form of a huge bodied, broken winged, and
decrepit bird having coppery ejes, — and a trembling body,
came (there) for bringing a curse on us as well as for asking
for something of the sage furnished with truth, purity,
forgiveness orthodox ways, and nobility of mind And
the bird said -—'0 foremost of the twice born, it beboveth
jou to relieve me who am suffering from hunger 1 seek for
fare, O you of exalted piety Be you my signal succour
(in this pass) As [ was staying m a summit of the Vtndhjxt,

I was thrown down by the violent wind begot of the wings
of the Bird ■* And for a whole week I lay on the ground, ^
deprived of my consciousness , and on the eighth day, I
regained my senses And now, having got back my
senses I, affected by hunger and suffering grievously, have
sought your shelter, —asking for food with a distressed
heart O you of a stainless mind, do you decide as to what
you should do,— and O eminent sage, grant me such

fare as may sustain ray life ’ Thus accosted he answered
/ndra m the form of a bird, — 'I shall, in order that you may
sustain existence, give you such fare as you will ' Having
said this tha^foremost of the twice born again said ‘But
what fare shall I procure for yon ?’ And he replied ‘I find
great satisfaction in the flesh of men ' Thereat the sage
said 0 oviparous one, your childhood is passed as well as
your ynuth and row is present with you old age — when all
' Said by way of pre emisctice Ger tre is msanl

,M^RKANDE\A PUR^VAM.

the <lcs»res 6f men stop of tbcni'sclvcs — But why even in this
ilccrcpit condition arc you so cruelly inclined ? What is
human Hesh, and nhat is this final life of yours ! But the evil
purposes of the ^\ickcd ne\cr know decay' But isliatis
the use of my saying all this ? We should noiv think that
what hath been promised must be performed’* Having
expressed himself thus, that best of Vtpras, the ascetic,
making up his mind, speedily called us, — and praising each
according to his quality, — with an aggrieved heart addressed
this exceedingly cruel speech to us,who stood with heads hung
down and hands joined, cherishing reverential feelings (in our
hearts),— saying, — '0 foremost of the twicc-bom, you are
learned, and along i\ith me have been freed from your debts 5
and as, 0 twice-born ones, you are my children, so joualso
have begot excellent offspring t If I am ^ our superior, if I am
worthy of your homage, if I am your father eminently entitled

* In ancient India a ptocais« was considered u sa:red and inviolable The
highatt raproacli that could be cast apon a person was that ho r^aa a promiac
breaker. • • • Snchia sm «ias alike visited with social obloquy

and the wrath ol the gods Instances of men fulElling their promises at
the saeriitce of wealth, happin*ss ray, of life itsef^ abound in Sanskrit liters
ture, — and the idra of 'performing a proreise like that of self control rfc,
enters almost invariable into the ancient Hindu conception of a manly
character The instance of Bhitma, pledging himself to a life long celebacy m
the interests ol his brother, — and Soally giving up his life for the sake of
fis vovr, — IS the most illustrious tbal Iileratur c e ven Hindu Iiterature~bas to
boast of — T

•f A person becomes freed frorti hts debts to his ancestors bv begetting
offspring This notion prevails to (b,<i day ,n Hindu Society and its force can
well be measured by the almost totaJ absence of bachelors among as A Hindu
bachelor is regarded with snspicioo by those around Him and his single blessed
ress IS explained on Che snpposition of absolute poverty some physical
disqualification, or any social difficulty iDletveniog between brm and the happy
event Such a person is considered unclean, marriage being regarded by
the ancient asthorities as a poriRcatory ceremony ard one being competent
to peifoioi religious riles only along sneh one s better half, who charactecis
tically styled Saftad/Kirinmi—jAr Witt aiAom (if* iii}6an(i) performs lit rtfes
o/Tfhs,o<~r

mXrkandeya purXnam

to your reverence,* then do you act up to my word in n
sincere spirit ' Just as he had said this aflectionately unto us,
Ave replied ‘Consider what you say unto us as (already}
performed’ JThereat) the ascetic spoke, — ‘This bird afTected
by hunger and thirst hath sought my protection , and do
you at once so act that he may be immediately refreshed with
your flesh and slake his thirst with your blood ' Tlien we,
exceedingly mortified, with onr entire frames trembling (in
imotion), said — 'Hard > Hard ' This cannot be accomplislied
jy us Wherefore should a wise person for the sake of
mother’s body, destroy or lay violent hands on his own?
)/ie’s oun body is even as one’s oun son A son, as enjoined
by the scripture), payeth the debts of the deities, the ancestral
nancs and liuiinu beings,— but a son doth not resign
iishody Therefore we must not do tins,— nor lu\c those
liat Inve gone before us acted so A person, living, rcapeth
:ood,— a person, living, earnctli )net> , but a person,
ymgi loscth lus body, ntid all his religious merit, e/r , also
come to naught FJie bodj, siy those cognisant of religion,
should every way be preserved ’ Hearing this speech of ours,
the anchoret (laming up iii pa«sion, again addressed us, as if
consuming us with lus ejes 'As jc do not act agreeably to
what I have promised, so, scathed bj my curse, do >e come
by a beastly birth ' Having spoken thus unto us, lie after
performing his own funeral ntes according to the ordinance,
addressed that bird, sa) mg,^ — O best of birds, do j ou v\ ithout
anj demur cat me here T have derheated this body of mine
as ) our fare So Jong, O foremost of fowls as a Srafiatrunt
observelli truth, so long is his Dr^hmanahood mentioned Not
by sacrifice, or dahshfiia,\ or any other act dotJi n Vt/n'c rt ip
the religjoiib merit (hat he doth by /namtaining truth ' JItanng
these words of the saint, 5<Ti{r/i vveanng the form of a binl,

• can bai ffiMU thi*

t A gift to a ptlMt In m-aey after the pri'smapc: tf i re * cb»
tcrcnoi'T“T

mArkandeya purXnam

19

with his heart seized with %Tonderment, then ansi^ered the
ascetic O foremost of Vtpras, resorting to yfiga, do jou
renounce this frame , (for), 0 foremost of Vtpras, I on no
account feed on a living animal' Hearing his speech, the
ascetic entered into yaga Tliereat knowing his determination,
Sakra spoke, aearing his own shape — O foremost of Vipra^,
0 intelligent one, do jou by help of your understanding
understand what should be understood It is for trying
you that, 0 sinless one 1 have committed this transgression
Do jou pardon me, O you of a spotless heart What desire
of yours shall I satisfy ? I have been highly pleased with you
on. account of your observing veracity From this day forth
you shall have Atneira* knowledge and nothing shall disturb
your religious penances' After Saira had gone auay having
spoken thus, vve, boning down our heads, addressed that
ascetic, our Sire— '0 magnanimous one it behovetli you (o
forgive us who have been affrighted Uthe idea of death We
certainly love our life Wc cherish affection for this (body )
compounded of skin, bones and flesh and /Died with pos and
blood, for which no affection should be cherished Listen, O
eminently pious one Wc ha\c heard how people grow
infatuated having been reft of their self control by those power
ful foes of theirs— those viccs.t Lust, Anger c/f The sovereign

* { « belonging to Indrt What such linowl&dgc coatut* la cannot b>*
tscttlawta — T

t These are Last frit aad icuemost Ancer next iri power and place
end COTCtousncss Infatuation C{Ot sm and Mai cc They arc called the foes of
mankind fiar trttUeacr The meaaings of (he other terms are plain enough
only infitust on rergiires else datlon Tlie idea embed ed in this word
appears to be th s Wh Je S person hiiaderthe roRaence of any 'trofic cmet on
which (or the time ftsttuft film he loses kis (ntrrterfMnl hold cf the central idea
connected w lb Ihe tmot on TM h Ibe mean k/; of thit prohtind rrntarlc ol
Father Matcbranche All feel njsjiur^ themsclrci Let us cite an trounce
A person is add cted to jrambi np llaTlng sufTerrtl pricTODsljr (rpn (he
practice with the v^oundt InflKtcd by it jtl (rcen in h i heart he rcsotics
never to isdatre in (Ve biblt arj more 10 kn I fe Af er he his walked sorr"*

way on tb- road to itloim the bab (Jal Ire rcturf s— I*-* Cco-I,,* r is

20

mArkandeya purAnam

—piiru^ha * — endowed with consciousness is established m
(this great corporal capital) environed with the rampart of
wisdom, having- bones for its props, fast confineH n wall of
the tegument, daubed with flesh and blood, having ninet
entrances, — the springs of mighty afflictions — surrounded by
nfrves He (purusha) hath two counselors, ^Jlmd and
Intellect, hostile to each other , and each of these endeavours
to finish hib foe The king bath four enemies (ever) desirous
of destroying him, — vrz^ Lust, Anger, Covetousness and
the fourth foe, Stupifaction When the monarch styeth
closing the gateways, then only is he strong and in health,—
opentd and the waves Tushmi; in arnain deluge iu» tnmd carrjmg everything
before them and swecpiag away all that is not in harmony with the strenm
— and IS im^rWt'tint to it all the landmarks aro obliterated— and the flood
IS at length stiUltself' Kis point of view i$ noiv entirely changed, and hs
regard! the emotion as^csft^ing itself which it would be nraiig not to
satisfy Tho physiological explanation would seem to be this 0/ virtue of hab t
the nervous energy concerned acquires a tendency to eoureo a certain way
and net another Restrained for a time this ene^y at length bursts all mental
fetters and goes its old rounds submerging aoJ abol shing all tho fntclkctui)
forces that had arranged themselves against it If we do but reReet what a potent
part this Mohtt plays in the life oi every one, we must praise the judgment that
has styled It as ‘one of the foes of life T

* The iftdividual the 1 in the domain ol consciousness of every one

This IS a profound doctrine in Hindu psychology reared up by a deep study

of the mentnl phennmi'n.a On Ibe one hanH the mental slitci, intellectual,
emotional and conalional (to com a term from Sir W Hamilton s 'conation } ,
bn the other the 'I' round which these dustet As rfpplcs fast spring Into

existence On the bosom of the sea and subside Into nothingness and nullity,

SO thoughts, feelings etc, sise conliaaally in the mind and fade away one
after another, bet it is the 'J' that feels these and ins /ie fhamelfru'je and

Sawfrign fo-der <f tvaj/ntg and »wi«ng anJsriTe wAoffrrr

IMfymuyhe AH the endcavonrs of the are to develop this power— so
that at length ha may attain the station o( a perfectly developed \\ ill, holding

l'ilunniTVut'illS-jJlf!«lUlWJm»‘gV'dWi^rtWwri<S«ahiV*h"'ivjyd\tU’,\r Ahc uim* jMid

aim ol his being the luminum ionmn— wbieb according to the Hindu
philosophers is unification with the Deity (lide T/ie Dm’t'sutse/Pialiatnd
Al ax M iller s CAips /row a German KTtrltKjf )— I"

t FIS the mouth the two ears the twoeyes the two nostrils and tbc
Organs of cxcreiion and gcncratiea—T

mXrkandc\ \ PonXN ^M al

ind IS free from disquietude And feels himself drawn
{towards the world), and he is not overcome by his foes
But when he openeth the doors wide, that foe of his, named
Attachment, beseigeth the entrances of hts eyes, eic He is all-
pervading and of great might, and finds his way to the five
entrances fn his wake enter the (other) three terrific foes
And entering through the doorways entitled ‘the Organs of
Sense, ‘Attachment impregnates himself with Mind and the rest
And bnnging under subjection the Organs and Mini, and
mastering the entrances, that irresistible one destroyeth the
wall* (of the body) And Intellect seeing Mind as already
in his power, immediately cometb to naught And mthout
counselors, and renounced by the inmates of his mansion, and
with his foe finding entrance (into his abode), the king meets
with destruction In this way do those wicked wights, Attach
tnent, Stupifaction, Covetousness and Anger go about, abolish
mg the memory of men From Attachment spnngeth Anger,
from Anger ariseth Covetousness, t from Covetousness Cometh
Stupifaction and from Stupifaction impairment of memory
From the undermining of memory cometh weakness of Intellect,
—and on Intellect being destroyed, followeth destruction of
one's oivnself i Obest (of men), to persons that have so lost their
Intellect, that are lorded it over by Attachment and Avance,
and that chensli a desire fur life do you extend your grace,
so that the imprecation that you have uttered may not come
into effect, and that, O foremost of ascetics, we may not
come by a condition predominated over by the principle of

* Probably nrisdom nhich )ost before hu been termed thf 'rampart ot tbe
c^noral esfiital — T *

t lui d fEcult to see hon this is so Sometimes a person an^rji with
another may ecvet his wealth but this is exceptional and cannot illustrate the
general proposition laid down — T

t In Sanskrit all extended metaphors are aot generally On all fours Tbc
gist however is plain cooagh —T

22

M.’iRKANDCVA PURXNAM.

ignorance,’* Thereat the sage said : ‘What t have said can by
no means remain unfuirilled. O my sons, to this day I have
never told an untruth.t In this I deem Destiny as alUpo^ver-
ful. Fie on ineffectual effort; for I ha^c perforce been made
to commit myself to this evil act. As, however, you have
pacified me by 'bo'svingyoiirseHes down, SQ, albeit born in a
beastly line, you shall attain to the highest knowledge. And
having the way discovered by your knowledge, you, with
your sins washed away, shall, from my grace, surely reap
supreme success. And when j'ou shall open your mouths
to answer the questions relative to the doubts of Jaimini,
then you shall be freed from my curse. This is the kindness
that I show ) ou.’ Having through the ordinance of Destiny
been formerly so cursed by our sire, we after a long lapse of
time have been born as beasts. And having been born in the
field of battle, we have been brought up by you. In this
wise, 0 best of the twice-born, have we come by the state of
birds. There is none in this world that is not controlled by
Fate ! verily all the exertions of creatures are under the sway
of Destiny.’ ”

• Tanas Matter and mind are ptesided over by the principles of Good-
ness, I'So/fwa) Passion (Xajai) and Ignorance (rVsmat )ThBy are partly physical
and partly mental and moral The above meanings, hovever, are very unsatis.
factory, conveying nothing like an even approximate idea of the original sense
These metaphysical conceptions are peculiarly Hindu, colored with the hue of
thegc»iu5 and jadiri duality of the nation, and are extremely dillleult of being
eipUined to a foreigner as they are of being comprehended by him This is
not the place to enter into a detailed exposition of them Students desirous
of an acquaintance with the litentureof the sibject are referred to the Sutiha
Philosophy translated by Dr DaJlantme, Mr Davis, and a Bombaylte under
the auspices of the Theosophual Socie^ — T.

+ The requiifments of Truth, according to th’e idea of the Hindus, are
very sfringentanh hard Truth does not mean only 'an exact representation
in speech of what kat bien' bnt also 'the folEiimeot in the future of what has
heen said ’ Agreeably to this idea, a peeson who would be truthful, must not
only speak the truth touching tbe^<, bat mamtain the froth of bis word as to
the future , for it he say^ anything which remami unfulfilled, hs is guilty of
speaking an linlrlith — T.

RJ^Rk-ANDCVA PURXMAU

23

Markandeya continued ‘ Hearing their speech, the reverend
■sage, Samika, possessed of eminent piety, answered the
twice born ones staying near ‘These cannot be mere birds
they must be some twice bom ones of exalted merit seeing
that they did not meet with their deaths in such a superhuman
encounter as this ’ And then taking the permission of that
high souled one who was wll pleased, (they) set out for the
foremost of summit crowned (mountains) — even Vtndhya —
filled with trees and plants And to this day those righteous
birds engaged m the stady of the Veda and concentrated
on Divine contemplation, live m that mountain And having
at the hands of that best of ascetics received the benefit of
sanctifying rites those offspnng of an archonte who had
come bv the state of birds with their minds restrained lived
in the woods on the breast ol the Vtndhya— htii of mountains
— furnished with exceedingly sacred waters

CHAPTER IV

MXhkandcyA went on — Thus did the sons of Drana
obtain knowledge And (now) they live in the mountain
Vtndhya Do you paying them homage (due) ask them (anent
what you are in quest oQ Hearing these words of the samt
Markandeya yatmtai directed his steps towards the summit of
the Vtndyha where those righteous birds dwelt And on
approacliitig the mountain be heard sounds of recitation
And hearing them yawttni struck with surprise thought
(within himself) — These eminent twice born ones are reciting
(the Vedd) with proper accent and emphasis — never stopping
for breath nor feeling fatigue with clear enunciation and with
out committing any fault And deem I this as strange that albeit

34

MARkANDE\A PURANAM

born m i dogrided race, Sayaswalt doth not yet leave these
pons o[ ascetics Troops of friends and acquaintances, leaving
(one), according to tlieir will go to another house,— but
Sarasivali doth not renounce (one) ” Indulging m these
thoughts, he entered the valley of the mountain And entering
in he saw the birds* seated on a stone And seeing them recite
without any distortion of countenance, he affected at once
with joy and sorrow addressed them all, saying, — ‘ Fair fall
you, O best of the twice born • Know me for yaimtni — tho
disciple of r-^aja, who have come (here) desirous of seeing
you You should not be aggrieved that, having been cursed
by your sire in high \%rath you have been born as birds All
this IS destined Some intelligent persons sprung m a prosper^
ous race, on their wealth happening to be lost, are eom/orted
by even a savage t some people, giving away (in charity to
others), themselves goabegging, others, slaying (some), are
themselves slam , and others bringing (some) down, are them
selves laid low,— oil this comes of exlnustion of ascetic merit,

I hate seen many nn instance of such untoward incidents
This uniterse is always distracted on account of such
jnischmces Thinking this m jour minds, >ou should not
indulge m grief The not being influenced by joj or grief
IS the fruit of access of knowledge Then thej honored
Jaunint wiUi argha\ fur Ins fe-ct , niid bowing down unto the
jniglity ascetic they enquired after his welfare And when

lie had scitccl hini»eH nl eise and been refreshed w ith the

breath of their w irgs, the sk\ ranging ones «j)oke unto the
disciple of Vy ifrf Iinvmg nsccticism for his wealth 'To diy

• Tic word H Dwiji I Dm>}* roa/ ine»n « t>i*r a Iw ce butn one or 4
hud , the former tar nj rrfcrence to i Brikmaaa t ceremony of regmcmllon
which Iks the C('tiWi4alj plum Riratn reSiWIt ooJ ihe Utter alluJ "S I® *

I) rJ he nj first born es an eg}; and finally as a yoms Ore of a fowl •“T

f The irord it S^i nh eh » s* r»r «i» m«n rgt one of lf«C be rj
^irj but barbsran I (iney fils in most appropriately with Ihe to — T

t An of' rr ni; of Ar nadc to a juesl on h s by way of

»cl coie and I tn — T

MiRkANDtYA PURANAM

25

oQr lives have been crowned with s«cce‘;s inasmuch as ive
have obtained a sight of those two lotus feet of yours worthy
of being honored by the celestials O Vtpra the fire of our
father s wrath which had been present m our bodies ever since
it had been kindled, hath today been quenched with the
waters of your presence d Bta.hmana at jour asjium is ij
Well with the birds and beasts as well as with those belonging
to the vegetable variety— trees and plants shrubs and grass
consisting of bark merely ? But mayhap it is not proper
for us thus regarded by you to make such as enquiry for
how can they that are near you ever come by adverse
fortune ? Do jou extend here your grace unto us — tell us
the occasion of jour visit By what potent good fortune is it
that your great presence resembling the society of the
celestials themselves hath been brought within the ringc of
our vision ? Thereat yamim said ‘ 0 powerful twice bom
ones do jou hear as to why I come to this charming
vallej of laved by (he ripples of tlic * I have

come here to ask certain questions touching some doubts
"inent the work Df<ira(a Before Ui s mtcrrogiting tint
pcrpctuator of the Bhngui race the high soiiled Mfirknnde^a,

I came across doubtful points concerning Bh&rata And on
being asked bj roe he said There are the sons of Drona
in that great mountam — IhcIfrnM^a — who wiIHurntsh jou
with a lull explanation (of the matter) Directed by his
words t have come to tins mighlj mountain Do >ou I car
rnc out cxhaustnrij and then dojou etphin (how >t is)

T1 1 , birds replied 1( it admit of being imparted wc si all
tUljou Do JOU hear binisl ing shjncss^ Antwhj should

* A et Ikr r rrt ftarmai/f io Itie Drreao onr cf Sc hel ai

cf tlic H nila Scr pture — T
t A CthliMlrd »4lPl

J At tre r jk ol bs Ej put down m p«ciil »r I Trnlure to ttnd t
n bf Ike rbriw “bin «!■ <i£ sbjnkcsi Hi* rp rr"> il to the (ostex

«h ch marl atmajt determ oe the taaa sg* «i |be >ail r Jaal n-orji cbacaecd,

■20

MXRKANDn\A PUKXnaM

MP nol communic'xtc thit nhich ippenrcth unto ouf
apprehension ? But, O foremost of lirahmnnas, although our
iiitclloctu'ii ken for cerfam ringctli over the four Vedas, "ind
the works on morality, *is well as nil the branches of the
Vedas, ind other books approved by the latter, |el ue cvn
not commit ourselves to any promise (on the point) There
fore if there are any doublfol issues concerning Bharnta, do
jou Without hesitation ask (us) , and, O thou cognisant of
righteousness, we shill unfold our views to jou, unless
stupifaction overpower us” yaimmi site! ‘0 birds of
unspotted (souls), heirken unto my doubts anent Bharata ,
nnd hearing them do jou explain the matter \Wierefufc did
lint stiy of the vmivcrsc, that Cause of all causes, Vasudna
(or) j^aua^-ddanff, although devoid of attributes, assume
huminity ? And w hereforc did Drupada s* daughter,
nlone become the queen of the sons of Pandit ? In this I
Iia\e great doubts And how did the mighty Valadc (t
Invmg 1 plough for his weapon expiate his sin of slaying a
Brahmana by resorting to holy spots ? And how did those
high soulcd car warriors, the sons of Draupadi, albeit having
the Petudus for their support, meet with th*eir deaths like ones
foilorn ere they Ind jet entered into maUifTion) ? All these
doubts relative to 5/;(tr<r to do you solve, so that with my
end attained I may return home satisfied The birds
answered,— Saluting that foremost of celestials, the mighty
Vtshnti, that male of unmeasurable power, eternal and
undcterioratmg — composed of the four Vyahas t having tho
three attributes^ — and at the same time v Did of all attributes,
v\Jio is the most excellent and the most mighty whois

Ihe express on ‘ I presume does not mean w thoat fear although fear or
apprehers on Is the general acceptal on of the term ienis — 7*

• Drupada was Ihe k ng of Piue/tla He faught m the field of Axm
ishitra aga nst the JCurus—T

t Vp/uka IS a force marshalled n battle arra/
t Goodness Pass on and Ignoraoce

mXrkandcya purXn \m

2 ^

pre eminent and immortal,— him than whom there is nothinij
minuter, or vaster,— that unbom rause of the cosmos that
permeates the same him that appeareth, and disappearelh, is
seen and is hidden from the view, — him that is said to be the
creator and the destroyer at the end of the All,— and bowing
uith a concentrated mind to that Pnmmval Deity—
who, bringing out from his mouths Saman, eie , sancti

fyeth the three spheres,*— and bowing down unto that I^(xna\
vanquished by whose single shaft, the Atura hosts cannot
abolish the sacrifices of those engaged in them, — we shall
unfold at length the (system of) morality and the rest revealed
by way of Bharaia by J^4fa of wondrous deeds Water is
cilled /^ara by those conversant wjlh the nature of things ,
and he who {at the time of creation) reposed on water, goes
under the name of — O i?r<f4wiririr, the reverend^

/^ani/ana permeating everything ci^isU m four several forms
having attributes or being devoid of any One of these forms
IS not capable of being defined This the wise beliold as
white And this form called Vazudeva is viewed os being
garlanded by a glorious halo— the supreme support of Voge^—
distant yet near,— known as transcending attributes and
bereft of all attachment hath no specific shape or color
— but any form or color that is attributed to it springs (purely)
from the imagination U rs ever pure, glorious and uniform
Tlie second (form) going under the appellation of Scska ||
remaining underneath the Earth holdeth her on its head
This IS pervaded by the quality of Ignoranco —and it accord
ingly pertains to the brute creation The third performeth
acts, being employed in protecting people Predominated

* Heaven Earth and the subtrmDCOiu resioni
t 5 m

t Bkegexin. tnay also mean the posietsor oS a aamber ol altiibulcs such

4 This form of Szriyana
j A name o! iLb I uadicd hooded Autnla

2 ?

MiCRKANDCYA PURyCNAJf.

'over by tlie principle of Goodness, it must be knowm as
establishing righteousness The fourth (form) resteth in the
midst of svaters on a serpent-bed Its virtue is Passion,-”
and from it always proceeds creation- Hart's third form,
engaged in protecting people,at all times estabhshetli righteous-
ness on E^rth This destroyeth the overgroivm Asuras who
exterminate piety, — and protecteth the deities and others —
virtuous persons engaged in maintaining morality. When-
ever, O Jamini^ morality fares dll and unrighteousness
waxes vigorous, then is this (form) incarnated Formerly
assuming the form of a Boar, this form,, dividing the waters
with its mouth, with a single razor heaved up Earth
like a lotus.* And wearing the Man-hon form, {Hart)
destroyed Hiranyakagipn\\ aaA brought down Dhnavas,

* Th« Lotu*— that ‘bright «onssmfnat« IS tha croirn of bloisoma

Her loveltncia of form and perfection of perfume have been embalmed in
Sanekrit verse Her atami n the panonaUoa of Pu/ri}’, ard a thousand
charming ataociiilions utuater found her U.-loTeJ image. Ttie Stl/apruns
£riihmt, covered, aa one <an welt imagine, with her fresh dust and odorous
with her ‘divine fragfrance, arose from the radiant bosom of that queen at
flowers One of the ntmea of Kishnu is PaJmaniihfi or the Lotus nattUtd.
ilolh Laishmt ((he godd«jj of wealth) uoiSaranealt (the goddess of leirnms)
delight in the Lotus, one of the most common and euphonious of the former’s
designations being A'ainii/i”lhe Cofas limded , and (he fatter being enthroned
on a Lotus The lores of the Lotus and the Sun have passed into a proverb,
the genius of Foesv having established an indissoluble conaection betnecn
that flower and the effulgent Lomioary of daj. This poelical convention, by
the way, Is derived from the Lotus blessomlng In the day and closing at
night -T.

f IliranyitiafifuwaaakinzoMhtAturas Hehad conceived an intense
hatred for f/ari, so much so (hat the very name of /fan rras gall ami worm*
wood to him But such IS the tiony of Pate (hat the son of this //un hsirr
was a born devotee of that deity, ever delighitojf In him Coming to know of
this prcpossrssion on his son's pail, the rfiNroctihc) tried every meant to
dissuade his boy from hi» eonrse, oay, being a father he went the

length of adrninistenng poison to hrs son, Costing bin into Cre, consign
mg his limbs to the tender mercies of fofurJaled elephanls. throwing
him ilown from a mounfam (op, 'beetlMig o'er hrs base.’ Out Jevr

of i/uri was ingrained in the ccmpOsidunr^ hiS soul,— it wai bis lift, of life,”

mXrKANDEYA PUrXNAM

'■9

Viprachiiti and others 1 do not intend to enumerate hi<;
other incarnations, such as the Dwarf, etc This present one
IS the Mathura* incarnation When the form presided over
by the principle of Goodness incarnates itscU, it is engaged m
thei\ork uf protection under the designabon of
Assuming the form of a celestial, or a human being or a beast
Vasudeva at His will ever assumeth the nature respectively
appertaining to the form assumed AH this hath been related
(by us) Next do you hear as to how, although attaining
consummation, the Lord Vtshntt hath assumed humanity "

CHAPTER V

The birds said “Tashta — lord of creaiurcs— bad former-
ly a son (named) Trtftrn As (once on a time) lie >\as
practising penances uith his face bent down he was slam by
.yrtira from motives of feart And on Tashtns son having
been slam, the energy of Indra was impaired greatly m
consequence of (the sin arising from) the slaughter of the
Drahmana\ And owing to (5<rira’i) sinful course his

it was )iia nature to seek Ilari I I(« the h*n pant ng alter water broolcs —
ar t well did he stand all these tests (earful as these were At length on
lltranyai rf fu bursting open a p (far where accord ng lo fc a son Haet ei sled
as He d d in ever/ ih ng else the Dc ty sprang tortli a (err fe f^re— hiK
man and half I on and emitting tremenUoiJt roars siaugblered the Atura
Phil slinc PrailSJa I* rtekoned as one of Ifce foretnoit devofeee of /Airi and
h s dear name is eDshriiied In the beast olfcearts cf ai] larerl |( tko Lord— -T
• «<• belonff Kg 1“ the b rth place «f Krishna

t /ridra is ceneralTy lepreseoled as lealooi of anyone that is found to

practise penances of more ihan on* oaryrleoer hii bctittrerevnaiageixiU
probab I ly of such an one tliro««b Ms oacetw merit depe.e ng h m of h i
ceickllal soveie Rnljr— -T

} SUrfot a sTriAsuM la sU-»eJ »s «« ef tie fire /rrj/Hai

30

mXrk\ndcya purXnam

energy entered into Righteousness , and on account of his
energy having entered into Righteousness, .Jaird* was rendered
nerveJess And Jieanng his son s/ain, that lord of creatures—
Tas/ita, — waxing wroth, tore up a matted lock (from Ins head),
and said 'To-day let the three worlds with the celestials
witness my prowess , and let also that one of perverse sense
—the chastiser of Pd^a— who, fallen in love with his own
course^ hath slam my son — ^intnesis the same ’ Saying this,
lie M ith his eyes reddened IB wrath offered the tnattecl lock
to the fire Thereat rose up the mighty Asura’—Vrtlra—
engirt with flames huge bodied huge toothed, and resembling
a mass of crushed coHyrium m appearance And fraught
with the energy of TVs/i/X, foe of immeasurable soul
and prodigious ^strength daily grew m strength like the
coursing of a shaft t And seeing that mighty Asura—l'ittf'a
— designed for his destruction, (Jndra) afflicted with affright,
despatched the sevenj sages, desirous of peace And the
sages ever engaged in the good of all creatures, with pleased
minds brought about a conditional amity between him and
Vritra When was slain by setting these terms

at naught, then /udra, ojerpowered (by the sm springing)
from his destruction (ot his foe), had his strength enfeebled
And going out from SaKra’s bodj, his energy merged into
the unappnrent, all encasing Air — that sole divinity presiding
over all energy — When, wearing (lie form of C'«r<vrtrw<r,^ the
sovereign of the celestials— ^aX-ra— violated Aftal^a, his

• A name o( Indra

t Eiplains the Conunentstw 'He grew daily as the range of an arrow
Dut I dillct The expresiiwi iMv/a/4— roiinr *f a ika/t — indef nitely deseribos
ibe ra/idi!jr tiitici lha.a llte ratrot J ri/raa growth —T

J The seven »ajjer Martchi #/r ,ar« reprejcntcJ by as miny »laf*
f InJra vas the pvpiJ of the ascct c Cauloma Coming to eontelve a
violent pasjion for the wile of b» preceptor while the lalUr was out ol

the way asiunietl the him and feataies erf the asettie and thus lenrw tl e
On coming to know the truth on his telurp Ceofama CurseJ
(he lifli ofccteKials— T

m;^rkandeya purAnam

3f

gi"\ce wined And the loveliness of his limbs ivliich wis
taking exceedingly, renouncing the wicked Dcvefidra, then
enclasped the Nasatyai * And knowing the chief of the
celestials w as reft of righteousness and energy, and shorn of
strengtlj and grace, the Datiyas set their hearts upon
vanquishing him And, O mighty ascetic, eager for conquer*
mg Devendra, they, waxing wondrous powerful, were bora
in the races of mighty monarchs Arrd it came to pass that
on ona occasion Earth, oppressed with her foad, went to the
summit of Meru, where the celestials were holding a conclave
A* 1 oppressed with a heavy burthen she made known unto
them her occasion of sorroiv springing from the offspring of the
Danujas\ 'A!! those powerful Atttras that had been slain by
you have been born m*thc world of men at the habitations of
human beings They are a great many AkshauhmisX (in
number) and pressed down by them I am going down
Therefore do je je celestials so net that J may attain rest
The birds went on Thereat dividing their energies among
themselves the deities for benefitting creatures and lighten
mg the load of the Earth descended on her from the cthenil
regions Then the deity of RighteousnessJ cast into A'nwfi))
the energy belonging to the person of Jndra and thereupon
Nns horn king VitUhtshditra endued with migfity energy
And the god of Wind discliarged lus energy and therefrom
sprang Blnma And PrUJuxs son Dhananjaya •” sprang from
*1 hiU of Sakras energy And the twins effulgent and
resembling himself were borne by Madrid In (ihcst)

fi\e wijs did the worshipful Su/iiitr;7/w imrnate himstlf

• The iwin »onj «f f pfejs c am of the Cklesi jIs

\ Dn it

t A ccimi> 1 «ie army eon»» ne of 109350 loot CjCfo torse 21 * 0
chif ots a d *1 R70 efeptianf* — T

{ nbo meies Out just ce tothe dead accord la rtl g oai merit

I Tlie moltei ot ihe »cri or PjnJx-ai

< It the conq e er g( met iS— t came of A /ana

* It seccr J n ft of fc jri/a

32

MXrKANDCVA PVK.iNAil.

and Ills exalted wife rose up from fire in the form of Krishnkf^
K.r{shn(x was the wife of Sakra and of none else. The
foremost Yogis can divide their bodies into many portions
Thus have we explained unto you the circumstance of
hrishitk's being the single wife of the five Pandavas.^ Listen
now as to how Valadevn went to the Saras’,tali."

CHAPTER VI.

Thc birds went on : "Knowing that /v"m/i/r<r was greatly
nttachedt to Po.rtha,X of the- plough tJiouglit much as

to what was proper to be done . 'I cannot go over to Dury^o-
dfiana without the company of Krishna (On the other hand),
espousing '(the side of) the Pandavas, how can I destroy king
Duryyodhana, my sondndaw and my disciple as well as the
lord of men II Therefore I v\iJ) not go nor hjIJ i

Ouryyodhana either, but repairing to holy spot<i,
r shall purify myself so long as the Kurus and the Pdndus

* Draufiaiti arcse trgm ihe Sacntitial iireot Dmfada
t The (riendsliip subsisting between Krttkoa and Arjuna-^ne being
named Nirayanii and the other Nara—\s paralleled w Western literature by
that of Damon and Pythias, or David and Jonathan This latiraacy is immort-
alised throughout SlaliSbhsrata, in special, in the Uiiyfgit Parra, nherc
Arishna expounds to .i^r^MRis the doctrine of iighteousnejs and actioo This
exposition IS the celebrated Bhagavalgtl t, reckoned as one of the most
precious relics that have been bequeathed to humanity by the sages of India— T.

{ Prit/ii'i son ij> nay ef /re emittfnee — a designation of Arjuna
f. Valarama'*

J There IS a divinity In kings, they being composed of portions of the
essences of the celestials The veneration that u chenahecJ by the Hindus lor
their sovereigpeapprosnheethatwhichis ehenshed tor a deity Thus loyally
with them IS no mere earthly feeling,— hut i* a religion as well, having
bearings on the salvation of theit eternal soul— T.

MXrKAS’DCYA rURXfJAM

33

not extenninate each other.* Then having accordingly
greeted Hrishike^a,{A PSirtba and Duryyodhana, SaurM
surrounded by his soldiery, set out for Dviiraka. tJ) And having
arrived at Dvaravatt^ filled r\ith fat and cheerful people,
Hal^yudha'^ indulged in drinking on the day preceding his
departure for the holy spots Having finished his potation'^^
he holding by the hand the haughty resemblingan

Apsard, directed his course to the rich Hatvata (7) And
encircled by damsels, he intoxicated, went on stumbling ; and
(at length) that hero beheld the wood charming and surpass*
ing fair to the view ; affluent with the flowers and fruits of
every season ; abounding with monkeys ; graceful ; filled
with lotus-groves ; and embosoming spacious woodlands with
watery expanses. And (there) he heard various maddened
melodious notes gurgling out of the throats of songsters,-^
filling the heart with delight, grateful to the ear, and
surpassingly sweet. And there he savv trees \/eaIthy with
the weight of fruits of every season , Waring with the blossoms
of every season,— and resonant with the music of winged
choirs,— mangoes, and hog-plums, and bhavyas ,{8) cocoanuts,
ttndukas,^) and cumins , promegraJiates, vSja^

purakasS^') pattasas,'\'^'> lakuchas,K*d> mcehaSfi^*) kadambas,(*i)
pardvatasf.'^ exceedingly beautiful kankolaSti^y) lotuses,
a>»Jai'eiasas,{'^) i>kaJJdIakas,{>9> dwalakasP-^o) itrtditkas
abounding in fruits, mgudas, taramardiias,{^t)

(i) A iiaoie or Krishna <2) This is |;eaeTaIl7 one of the names of
Krishna, here I’alarsma li mtfJot <3) The Ifiirgdom of hrishna
{^ilDwiraia G) 4 if , ‘he haring a plbngh for his weapon,’ a name, of contse,
of ValaritTia (6) VaUrama's wife (7) A mouoUm (8) The Bengali
kamringn, a small frail Uee, Airrhaa etramiela (9) A sort of ebor/
—Dtmfj/ros gluliHrisa. (10) A fimt tree commonlf called jAri — jEgtemar
meloi (11) The corrmoa citron or a vanetf — Citrus mrd tea <12) The.
bread fruit Uee—Arfocarfus integrsfislta (13J ArUcarpus larucfia, mr
(14) Hfprranthira vtontn^a (15) Kastetea iaiamia {119 Gnaias A sort of
ebony , — Dirsfyres gtufinasa <17) Joresia afoia (l8) A sort of doclr or
sotre\—!!umfj! tecieariut (ip) The inarlrui^nut pUnt — Snmearpus snACar.
dMin (20) Erablic mytolialaQ— fAyftjnMjw «ai/Ka (J«) A small tree bearing

5

ti6/iUtr^iTs(‘3)—ihc‘^c and other trots hclicit! lint ‘ion of
llic yatfu (race). And sun'cying tTf0ias,(ii) /'Uiii:ai^n 5 ,(i 5 >
iclaUs, I'(7^«/n^,t2C) clutmpiitas,iv) sapiapnruasp'^ iarni-
/nrflr,(29) nnUalis.m panjalas.ti^) tmiu!aras,l2^) mafu
(f<iras,(33) J«}uIk.\S|Cj 4} bcautiftrl btossoraing p<Uaias,l2S) anc?
t/crdf/arwCs^) trees; and jd/aj,(37) talas, and tmahs ,{35)
liiifulasU’^) and raitjntas,(V) In that wood ringing \uth
(he melodious and eapthatm^ stratns ol c/iaiarasiti^) safa-
/«/rnj,(43) bJtn'tiirafdJas/AA) parrots, i0h'ljs,Us) sparrow^,
^rt*'i/ar,<46) j{vajivaias,(A7) priyapuiras, ckatttkas,i*i^ and
inrlous other birds ; and (\ietrlrg) beautiful ‘liquid
tape's' benring delightful waters ; graced all round with
pK/tefar’!kas,<S‘>] excellent blue lotuses,
//dt'aSifSi) «mtl lotuses, -“.-md swarming with UdawbasAi'^)
thakrnvdiasAyA ^ntaiukkutatfia) /fdr<t«(fa:><ij,(S5) ptnvas,^^
swans, tortoises, medgtis^i> and other acquatic animals,

Aft leid fruit eommOBJr Karenda tartaJU’-Cunss^ (arenTat (Mj Yetlsw
0» Cli»lsulic BiyrobAljR— rAr<>ii»n/j« tMeMa (»3) Belefic tryrobUan— rsmi-
neha Maries (,ti) yauesta sfHa (r5> A tree frem the flovrets o( which a
J>ell»H>ilh iys it ptepttei—MlUna tineiena (tfy tlaitgi (if) A

tree beerins a yellow highly (r&gnot il9*tt^iUchalu) rian/etn (rS) Alslama
athoUris {39I Cewmenlr A'4ng'V~/’t/nt«/rmti»i a«m/cliMf» (30) The
greai SciaMd jjfitun—yatinaniiM erandifiantn (}!} (a} A hgeniery tret
belonging to the celestial teguxi*, /rcqBenlly mentrooefl by Sintlfnf writfit
(i; The Coral tree— iVjiMfinii/w/fr'M tj*) A species of ebony— CimbHiia
sanriitln (33) («J One of the fi« trees of heaTeo, ( 6 ) lha Cntil 1rw>

(34) ZityShus jujuia or Beantlfni (35) The tnmpei Sower free Sigxmita
Suave olent ( 36 ) A specieo of psne (^7) Shona tafaula (Jff) Fan palms
Sarcstiie/laMh/erTiiis <39) A tree beating black blossoms — A'<Hi*erj mns
PieferiUf, Sax (40) A tree bearing )»a»tifnl red blossoms— S«/en/eO’irfaJ«

(41) (fl) Oalbergia flu/einr»ffs ( 4 J Calaatiis ntang (t) A’i«iic»r malaiiAs

(42) The bartavelle or Gcee)cpartn<%[*— Pe«/irrM/« orrelrn ri/«t («) A
peacock orar IJiliaD crane (44) Appaiently a wriety ot shrikes— ionii/e
meieiancus (45? Ctu^Im tnitcris (46) The groeo of wood pigeon
(47) Supposed to be a sett of pheasants (4^ A tmd of euckao — Carul^a
tiielaHohucHS (4C0 The whUB escnlenl water i3j-~!ifymf/ie escutenla
(jo) Tlie while lotas (51) Nyiiipbir lotus ($3) A drake or. armotdmg to
some, a teal (S3) The ruddy goose,— d*a*«ra«a (J4> The blac). beaded
Bull (55) A sort of duck <56) Ptluasat/Hanlria (57) The shag

M;^RKANnn\A puranam

35

—surveying tlic romantic wooil, Saurr, followed by
women, ^\c^l to a graceful gro\c. There lie sakv Inicc-born
ones, versed in the I'eihs and their branches— the Kau(iias,*'
the Bhar/favas,i the niiaratlieajat,X the and

other foremost of twice-born ones sprung from various
races; who, seated on spacious blach decr.<ikms,
sheets and yrisA!s,\{ were listening with rapt attention Stt(a*\
seated in their midst was discoursing on themes connected
with ancient history relative to the character of the original
celestial saints Seeing JJw/t Iming ejes reddened in
consequence of drink, all the Vvtjas, ibinling that he was
intoxicated, hurriedly stood up And the) all paid homage
unto Hatadhara^, with the exception of him sprung from the
race Thereat he of the plough, that vanquisher ol
countless Z?5«ati7y, overcome with rage, with his cjts rolling,
slew the Sii/« The 5uta, having been slam, went to the

• Lit, ‘iprung (lom
t Lit , 'fpiung from U^ngu'

$ Lit , 'sprufif; from QAaradttij*'

( Lit , Sprung itom Galana
\ The seit or cuthion cf ao ascetic

^ SiU tn»y nesft ‘a ehaHalrer , {i) ‘a eitrptnttf', (3) 'ent tfamixtd

tace dssundtd fftm a Hihfirtya fathtr anti a e/ lAt sacerdotut

/eilnaing /*/ prc/rss>en a/ a chariatftr , (4) ‘a iaad Ot '«,» mcomiait ' Consider-

tOR that the birds who are peitocming the part of narrators has juit bcrorc
said that Valanma had entered into an asscmblj cf 't\» tviet born ones ’ and,
further, that the Si<M was acimg as president o( the meeting, it would seem
that ibc Sufn, the ,ca, on c>{ tlnofs, could not be other than a Grtbrnonu
bclongiDR to a particular race whose hereditary function was that of dnrdr
or eucMniasfr , or he might belong to the mixni caste mentioned under
head (3)— T

$ ‘Holder of the plough ’ a name ol f'a/arima It may once for all, be
said that Saosbtit proper names bcirg deneative ones, a persn^ or thing may
have an indefinite number of designalions, each having reference to the indivi
dual character, <}uali(ics, actions, &c , the pliancy and richness of the Sanskrit
tongue lending Itself readily to such a process. Thus Uie names ol /Trfr/iiia,
Hiva, the Sun and other prominent deities of the Hindu pantheon count
by hundreds There (s a pecuJiar tendeocy m He Hindu mind, which may
appropriately be styled, the ffii»»i"f trait, delighting in assigning names —T.

mXrkandeya pur/Cnam

Brahma regions , and tlien all the Dvijas clad m black
deer-skins in a body departed from that forest And
Halayudha considering himself as stained, thought,—'! ha\e
committed a great sin, m tliat I have slam this Suta, ^ho hath
gone to the region of Brahma, and that all the
seeing me, have gone away And my body feeling as though
It were composed of iron, and occasioning me uneasiness,
smells foul I have degraded my ownself (now) grown ugly, by
liaving slain a Brahmnntt Away with spite, and wine, and
over-weening self regard, and rashness, ha\ingbeen actuated
by which I have committed this crime ’ I shall for expiating
my sin observe a vow extending over twelve jears, wiping
out my deed, and effeclmg excellent atonement And now
setting out on this journey to hcly spots, I shall visit t/ie
Bra/i/oma Saraswa/t ’ And then Bama set out for the
Pratiloma Snrafwati Dsten then to a narration relating to
the sons ol Paudu"

CHAPTER Vn

The birds said ' Pormcrly ifi the Treln Y»ga*' there
vab a Rajarshi\ named Ilart^thandra That rukr of the

* Lich cycle of the Earih iJilmJed tnto few ralltd t
Trtla Dn&ptta and Aoli— the present perwe the Sai^a et colJcn »cc
being the best and the Aa/» or iron Bje thesvaest ©{ the divisions — After the
worll has performed one cycle tsvdve Sum appear In the fieivena itebfasts
ot d ssolutiort bftiw over tlie Carih He seal owrleip their continents invading
the land— and everything IS destroyed Then there is a fresh creation and
the process ts repented ~T

t /?ijii means a r.ji t( There wtra tonirjr Orders of iunfs—^rjt "t-JnJii—

those dwell ag )<i the lenier of Siakmi il») Dnankn—

(eeleitial s»int»> FiiitrO s—^irial ti *-h) rA —T

JII/CrKANDCYA PVtiASAM

37

earth was righteous, renowned and possessed of a handsome
person. During his reign, there %as no famine, or disease, or
untimely death (in his kingdom) His subjects never took
pleasure in unrighteousness, nor were they proud of their
wealth, prowess, or asceticism. And no woman ever gave
Ljrth to sny offspring before she had attained her youth.*
And it came to pass that once on a time as that long-armed
one was engaged in pursuing a deer in a wood, he heard the
repeated cries of 'Save me,’ proceeding from certain women.
Thereupon the king, leaving alone the deer, said,— 'Do rot
fear. What person of perverse sense is intent upon doing
wrong while I am governing (this kingdom) ?’ And thereupon
he proceeded in the direction of those cries. In the meanwhilo
the Lordt of Impediments, causing disturbances at the threshold
of every undertaking, thought (within himself) t ‘Carrying on
unparalleled asceticism, the powerful Vtfir<Smt/ra observing
a vow is striving to acquire the varieties of knowledge,

( emboin ) died J3kava,X etc, which had never before
been acquired (by any) $ And on being thus acted on
by the ascetic observing forbearance, silcnceH and self*

* Thu fhowv that m sncirnt ttoses that bane o( our society, era , early
mutisgt, which has deviroyed our national sumlu, lihe a canker eaiiaz into
the (eflJer petals of a tOie^ <rts not in TO;c^e •monj‘}t uS — T

t IVtrwrK— derired from Tr,c*'»a“'unp*d,meni' and rJf— 'a kirg* an
appellation c( Ciinrfa, Capable of caoviac or rcaiovlns; diflicultics andlmpe,!!
mtnts aril belns thtrtfote npecfally worsfiippcil at the commeBctTcent of any
work (St! p i J— T

t This term means mr^n,mr^.irnrr, iB/'rrioriiy rfr— r

I Th»» perhrpi ImpJiM t know)e<1fe of tJis iferer tptlxgi cl etiilfcrr,
the ersiral nystery cl life and MisiS an4 Fcrcg — the oti^irval maehtfury
of the Cosoilc iyitem I, not iMs a parallel of Fault • cemseminc pviilon
lor fcnowleJre, which isijaced him to barter avsy bis soul to the Fill One, and
which, like an crjpiiaoci sb« sslcamc Vc»us»»s, o'licn»'.clj'r«4je«J tira to

1 Hii’ii aierlics are Kei>esa"f (»ur 4 to praetiK the tow cf iilenee
SiUoee has been eal'ed foUta by one ol the most p^utrfaf nnjfiit wtiiers
e! crinJctB t ics— ticn Thomas Carijte II ce< wtre to tiiok cf fl'e rMscb-c's
ainln; t«c« th« Cabsl cl rptttb that («-*eas.aly bcartJ asJ /!a»i *r;.a4

38

M^RKANDEYA PURXNAM

restraint,*^ they, overpowered by fear, are cryjng What should
I do now? That foremost of the K.ausikas\ is endowed nith
energy and vve are feeble compared with him But these,
afflicted with fear, are crying (in distress) I am m a dilemma
Better that having here this king exclaiming momentarily, —
"T>o Tioi iQar ," — i tit cni^nrtg into him realise my wish’
Thinking thus, the dreadful Lord of Impediments possessed the
king who, thereupon, wrathfully said, — "Who is this man of
sm thit tieth up fire with the ends of his cloth, while 1, the

us Uom sunrise to sunsst and fit into the hours of night and rest,
one would sec the wisdom of onr sages in sanctifying Silence in their
aeriptuics Silcoeo is ttlf coHsertnng and eoniluces to energy of the
Will An miividual forms a resoire oq an impotfent sabjeef ff after
having done so, he reins in bis outgoing energies and [lents them up within
hts system his powee u cuniarved and all his mute actions will betoken the
resolve that it e« him , nhi(« if he vapour* away through his mouth, hii twgf
loses and his actions lack that vigor which othenvise would be his Newman
has a beautiful poem on this a«b|ect given in Palgrave s Children s Tremury ef
Oelden [ynet Let but a person atUitate the habit ot reticenee for a length
of time, and he will gain lareenselyiatellectually and voliiionally , he will see
new ideas of men and things coursing his mind silently, hkea golden fish
moving about ta still waters Farther-* Not that which goeth into the mouth
defileth a man , but that which coneth out of the moath, this de&Ieth a man '
What an amount of lying of calumny, and other evil* springing from this
source would be spared to the world it men but acted on the salutary princ pie

of our teachers 1 Let a man }ust conceive as a whole all the evils which he

tndividualljr has done to himself as well a* hi* fellow-crentures by his prerogn
live of speech, and be will bo able to arsire at something like an accurate
idea of the miss of wrongs that bis been spicid and reaped by mankind
generally since the diwn of crestiOa— T

• Earth and her vanities were ever regarded with supreme contempt by

our sages, and all their endeavours were directed to the development of the
• ns/rinrie man e those power* which realfyeonstitule his man hood The
oijeclive accordinEly is conspicuously absent throughout Sanskrit literature —
and the su&jeeftve his almost everything to Itseff The greatest possible ftfcsf
in cspccul, IS put upon BelfcanUtl Before eoxog o«t Into Society — whore
iirisistible tendency is to draw one off on*, thus paving the way for whit is
called ,1/^*4— the parent of all pasiiorw,— a perton is insirocttd to stop up
all forcibfc access of external jnfluencs through the n.ne physical entrances — T
t I ifwJwiira belonged to ihc race of the AaupfuJ

WXRIiANDnA PURANVM

30

king, possessed of strength and enei^, am present ? Who
to day, pierced all over with arrows shot from my bow ,
iliumining alt sides, wisheth to lapse into the long sleep ?'
Hearing the words of the king,f'iftta«;/ra ivas enraged , and
on that best of saints being wrought up with passion, all those
-impersonations of Learning in a moment disappeared And
seeing the ascetic Vtfwtxmttra, the king, suddenly struck
With fear, began to tremble like a leaf of the Afoka And
when llic ascetic said, — 'O widted vvighl, stay thou,’ the king,
humbly bowing down, represented O reverend sir, even
this IS my duty O master, I have not transgressed It doth
not behove you, O ascetic, to be angry with me, who but
follow my own morality A virtuous ruler should give awaj,
and protect people and he should also agreeably to scripture
fight, lifting up his bow ' Thereat Vifwamtira said ‘Whom
should you give away to, and whom should you protect, and
whom also should you fight? If you fear unrighteousness,
immediately tell this (to me)’ Harx^chandret answered
Gifts should be dispensed to the foremost of Vtpras and
others \Yhose professions are unremunerative the affrighted
should be protected , and robbers* should be encountered in
fight VtfuaMtira sud If O king, you fully observe the
duties of kings, I nppeanng before you as a suitor, do you
give me the dukshina I would have ’ ”

Thebirdswent oni 'Hearing these words of Viften/mira,
the king, filled with exceeding great joy considered himself as
hiving received a second birth — and addressed Knitftka
sajing —'O worshipful one freely tell me v\lnt I slnlj haic
to gne you and although it sliould be bard to procure
consider the same as already given (to >oii)— silver or gold
or son, or wife or body or life or kingdom or iSty or Regal
rortane, or (anj other) tJnng that )Ou desire to possess
Fif Cftwr/r/r inswcred O kme consider what jou give is
ilrcady icrcpted nty me But first give me dakthina
* /'•I'l/i rti may mean an <i> <ii/

\5XRK\NDr\A PUnXSAM

to

pcrtuntng to the It yasi'iya* (thit ^oti li'xv c cctclmtccl) ’ The
tnonarch said 'OlirabBiamt e^en this dahskina ttilJ I give
3011 Do jou sty «Ijit it IS that I shall grant unto jou’
VtCLhntlra replied This emth famished \ufh seas, lands
and Cities, and this entire monaicli), 0 hero, abounding with
gars and horses and etephanfs md jour treasury, with all else
tiiat IS jours,— 5a\c jour wife, and son and this body of
jours 0 Sinless one,— including religious merit which followeth
one when one departs this life— wliat is the use of detailing?
— all this do jou make o\er to me ' *'

The birds continued ‘ Hearing his speech, the king,
delighted at heart, v\ith a composed countenance said with
joined hands— ‘So be »t' Vtfv.tmitra then said ‘If 0
rojalsamt jou have given away unto me your rU — kingdom
earth forces and treasures —« bo then is Jhe ford over them,
seeing tliat I am engaged in austerities ? fiarifthandrA
answered 'From the time ivhcn f had made over to jou
this earth furnished ivith a kingdom, jou have been its
sovereign Whj then do jou ask as to tvho is the lord of the
Earth?' Thereat Vtfvamtfra said 'Jf 0 king jouhaxe
(m reality) bestovied on me the entire earth— and if the
sovereignty also therefore lie mine do you then resigning
the threadt around your (oms and other things together with
all the ornaments (befonging to you) and wearing the bark
of trees, go out from (this place) ^ong with your wife and
son ’

The buds went on The king saying So be it prepared
to depart with his wife and his son — a stripling And as
he was going awaj ( ^i(uamifra) obstructing his way said —

• A sacr fice perforiricd by a monarch for bail ng broiighf all other t* ogs
under h s subject on and IioM oj in Ike part ealaa Sanskr t pbtaeseology tb*
Regal umbrella over the «rt re coaatij HeacefoMh he joes nuder the t lie cf
Rijachairavarli — T

t To th 5 day H odus espec alJy Ikose of a type snlcayfocd by Ena] sh
jnflu»ncrs are n ih<- lab t of s^r o; lb 5 ibtead » Ih That object t s nther
d fficult to delerm ne— T

m/rkvnde\ ^

4*

‘Where do > ou go, njtbont rendering me Ihc r/ah/itna of the
Rajasuya !' Ifan^ckattdra ‘O Reierend Sir, I

have made over to you this kingdom pervaded by peace ,
andj 0 B^ahmana, ( have left unto me the ^possession of
these) three bodies alone’ l-'<jrtcdi«f/r'«r spoke ‘For all that
you must give me the sacrificial dakshtni , the rather thak
if w hat hath been promised be not rendered unto a Brakmana,
everything cometh to nought O king so long as Brahmams
are not satisfied, should dakshtnas be dispensed unto them in a
R-xjasttyet You had promised that you would give u hat you
had promised, fight bandits, and protect the distressed '
Hari^ehandra rejoined,— -‘Reverend Sir, at present 1 have
nothing (to give you) , but ! will satisfy your demand in
time 0 Vtfira sage, cherishing kindly feelings, be you
propitious to me ' ViftiamUra spoke 'Hew Jong, O lord
of men, shall I wait? Speak out at once, or else the fire of
my curse shall consume you ’ Hart^chandra thereupon
replied *In a month, O Vtpra sage, will 1 render you the
dakshtno. Now 1 have no wealth It behoveth you to favor
me with this concession ' Vtfwcimttra said,— Go go 0
foremost of monarchs Do you observe your morality May
good fortune attend you on the way, and may not robbers
molest you ’ "

The birds continued “Then, permitted (by Vifaamitya)
With ‘Go,’ that best of royal saints, the ling exceedingly
amazed departed , and him follovved his beloved wife
unworthy of going on foot And it came to pass that seeing
that foremost of monarchs go out from the city in company
with his wife and son the cititens followed him crying
loudly ‘0 Master, wherefore do you renounce us ever
troubled and oppressed by others? O king jou have always
acted righteously, and been gracious to the citirens If
O royal saint, you have any regard for righteousness
lake us (with you) Stay for a moment, O foremost
of kings— your lotus favc shall we drink with these
6

42

mXrrandcya purXna&t

bhramaras* of our eyes 'VWieii shall wc bcliold it again ? He
that formerly used to be foUoived by princes, ts now followed by
this wife of his taking her b<y son And that foremost of
tnonarchs — Hart^ckandra — iviio m his progresses was heralded
by retainers mounted on elephants — the same is (non ) proceed-
ing on foot 0 Sire, how shall your comely face furnished with
a graceful nose and having fair e>e brows, fare, covered with
dust on the way ? Stop, Slop, 0 crown of kings, observe
jour own morality Compassion is a prime virtue, of the
Kshaiyiyas\ in especial What is tlie use of (Iming) u ives ?
What IS the use of (having) sons ? And what is the use of
(Inving) wealth and corn ? Giving up all these we will
Wlow yo\i hke your shadow O lord, O mighty monarch, O
master, why do you forsake us ? Wherever you will be, will
we verily be, wherever you are present, there is our happiness
Wherever you are, even there is our citj wherever our
king IS, there IS our heaven ' Hearing the utterances of the
Citizens, the king, overwhelmed with gnof, having compassion
on them, there stopped short on the «a> Seeing him
disconsolate at the words of the citizens, Vx^j.a,m\tra, advanc*
mg vvitlj eyes rolling m wrath and spite, said —Tie' on thee
who art wicked and who speakesl false and tcllcst untruths,
who, having already parted with thj kingdom to me, wislicst
to liav e it back •' Thus addressed in a harsh speech by him,
(Hartfchatidrn), trembling said, *I go,'— and soon as he said

* A bUcU bfie frec^oently m^oliaftcH by Pansiest poets tn conofre
ton with flowers cp the Ijwoui honey ina4 Mrnmara persutinB in hii
tUailt to lifht an<3 rest on Stt.iaM a thpt nnto^fni; l) tin tor a bkssen)

1 1 If Kilidjsas AMijmiia yniuBM/j— T

t Ancient Hindu Soc ely ws* broadly a vidnl inlo four n:lrs vimely
HrjiiBianns lisColnpas i iifyas OfiSkhat cncli harlnjt rrpuMe fnMtions
nsrjncii to if Tk» ;?aiW>w t^presealrd Ihe mind or iniellrct of Ihe
cornmunUy— ani accordingly » Jaiil W have emerged from ibr ^r1d of
Cfahm^ Uie As^nlryn htW tie *«ronl and Iht iciplre. and Is fal'cti In
l»n 5pninBfro>na~I>nl»o».s the 1 a*0 > syTir-Eing bom llie Ihshsct
J 'akm} folloircd trade and agnru) ore mi f»33Iy,ir*^ ^r® baTing sprang
from Pra^mS i feet, uned Ite ether classes —T

M ^RIv VNDC\ \ PI/RX’^ VNt

43

this, he proceeded Mong, hastily drawing his bcloicd (spouse)
wiUt his hand And as his tender wife worn out with fatigue
was thus hurriedly drawn, Kauitka* all on a sudden struck her
with a chastising rod And seeing her thus beaten, king
Ifarifc/iandra, sore aggrieved, said — ‘I go,’ and de did not
saj anything besides And beholding that lord of men,
/larifchattdra, thus handled, the five Vt(v;adevas, moved
with compassion, said ‘What r^ons shall this right wicked
* Vifwamitra who hath reft this best of those celebrating
sacrifices of his ow n monarchy .attain ? And drinking whose
Soma\ hallowed and sanctified by piety, olTered m mighty
sacrifice with religious formuls, shall we experience the excess
of exhilaration Y "

The birds continued “Hearing their words, Kaufiia,
fired with exceeding great wrath cursed them, (saying),— ‘Do
ye all assume humanity ’ But on being pacified, the mighty
ascetic again said ‘Altliongh born as men, ye shall not
attain offspring, nor wive, nor be influenced by ill will And
being free from lust and anger ye shall again become
celestials ’ Thereat, each retaining his peculiar virtues, those
deities were incarnated in the abode of the Kurus as the five
sons of the Pandus sprung from the womb of ,

and it IS for this reason that those redoubtable car warriors —
the sons of the Pandovas—^x^ not enter into matrimony by
virtue of the curse of that powerful anchoret Tlius all this
have we related unto you regarding the history of the sons
of the Pandavas , and answered the four questions (you had
asked) What further would you hear ?

t The moos p^ant—Aichpuis Aetda Oi SarcOilenta xinunahs (he drink
o( the immortals The gods spec in the Vrdte 1 terature* are repreiented
as delighting in this beverage tvhich they quaff tnth infinite zest — T

•u

MXkKANDr\ ^ PURXN^^t

CHAPTER VIH

JmmiN! said “All ihis you, sirs, Inve related unto me in
the order of my i^ncslions Dut I have a. great curiosity touch-
1 ng the history of Hayiich^ftdra A/as I Unparalleled iras the
misfortune that befell t/ial high souleci one , but, 0 best of,
iJieyar, did lie e\er attnin felicity resembling (what he had
formerly experienced) ? '

The birds i\cnt an “Hearing Vefwd»itiya‘s words, the
monarch, strichen with sorrow, slow/y went on, followed by
hib wife Sair'Xii having a boy for her son And think-
ing,— 'This* IS above being enjoyed by human beings,
having been raised by SiUafidmf himself—' that ruler
of Earth directed Ins steps towards the noble city of
And afflicted with grief, (hejproceeded on foot along
with his obedient wife , and as he was on the eve of entering
the city, he saw Vif'Baniilrn (before him) And seeing him,
Ilariichandra, bowing down in humility, addressed the great
ascetic with joined hands ‘This is my bfc, and this my son,
and this my wife Do you take /Ac/ among these winch you
urgently desiderat^^ Vifa>imi(ra said, “The (promised)
month IS complete , let me have my flalsfiiud relative to the
Rajainya, if you happen to remember your own words*

* Varitnasi the chisical name of Beoarer One of liclicjt spot; o{ tlip
Hindus Jl IS considered by prrierence as Ihs favoBnteabode of Vjf»rfiiw/o,

(/;i Lord af the VniverseS/ta) tod of jlnjuifii!rMi(!st She that fills people’
—Dirge consort of Siivc) Such u tfie soBctity ascribed lo tbit place, tbst if
a fetsoa bets Ijreathes hi* last he hccanus a Sica sad under this nation
fficdus by hundreds make f7eii<irM their home at the closing stage of their
earthly career —T •

t tlie tnUnlhanM a name r£ Si«a Histcidert is tbe

eirihletn of destnictiOTi he being the dcstructire deity of the Hindu triad
composed of anil i&ns— creati9i>i COOscivotiOB and diisolu

mXrkandcya puranam.

45

said *0 Brctkntaaa, 0 shining ascetic, even
this very day will the month be complete. Do you therefore
wait for half a day yet, — you Mrill not have to tarry long.’
Vtgivdmtra answered : ‘Be it so, O great king I come again.
If you do not grant it me to»day, I shall curse you ’ ”

The birds went on . “Saying this, the Vipra went away ;
and the king reflected • ‘How shall I grant the dakshind that
I have promised ? Where (can I get) friends furnished with
* fat substance ? And where, further, is my wealth now ?
Shall 1 give up existence ? Whither shall I betake myself ?
If 1 do not realise my promise, I shall come by perdition, and,
guilty of having robbed a Brdhmatta of his property, shall
become a worm— the vilest of the vile Better, perhaps, that,
disposing of self, 1 enter servitude ’ ’’

The birds went on “As the king, distressed and discon-
solate, was plunged in thought with his head hung do«n, his
wife tMth her accents tremulous with the vapour of grief,*
said,— ‘Cast off thought, thou mighty king,— and maintain thy
truth a person that hath been excluded from (the pale of}
truth should be shunned like a cemeteryf Oi all the duties
of one, there is none, say they, higher thin this O powerful

* When a person is aiT«cle4 bjr an orerpowerisg soirow, his throat
appears Co be obitructeil , and Ibis ■« conceived as brought about by tbe
'vapour iiMpa) of grief T

f- The llmdu a ,dess cleanliness are unique Many things which would
be eonsidered ns perfectly inftocuoas by a Kumpean, are unclean in the
sight cf a ilindu To touch a dead body >s pollution, which must be
washed away by abtuClons fn a sacred sCream — and a like Caint appertains
to a cemetery Would an Englishman think of washing hia clothes i!
they came in contact however remote with cooked iood h Would he think ot
bathing himtelf off hit sin il he Came te tsoch a dirty spot? In short, the
flindo ccute of cteantmesi as baaed on the system of caste, ivelvdes mimerous
dcIaiU which would be rejecterl from that of aoy other nation

Cleanliness has been considered as being neat to godliness ' indeed, the
idea of cleanliness is profound anil far teachiug covering rot only the physical
blithe Intetlectoal and moral ft is oov of tbe mam features distinj^iishirg

fti«* front the lower aBimals Seen m this light, the ansiety minfesled by Ibc

lliaJjt on Ibis bead cut Uildy to a ao'ole Qon! sod »tl.clic utare.— T.

46

MXRKANDnVA PURANAM

(prince), there is no other duty like unto perfonning a promise.
Neiliier Uie agnihotra,* nor the (religious) studies, t nor the
entire compass of pious* act^ of a person whose speech is
barren (of realisation), can bear fruit Truth, assert those
conversant with scripture, is altogether saving • and, in the
same way, untruUi briogeth down people of uninastcred selves.
Having performed seven hdrse-sacriiiec5,\ thou, 0 king, hast
also performed the Shouldsp thou for a solitary

untruth suffer thyself to be cast oat from heaven ? 0 king,

1 have borne offspring’ Saying this, she fell to weeping
bitterly. And then the lord of Earth addressed her itli the
corners of her eyes Hooded with tears. 'My gentle one, cast
off this sorrow of thine; this thy boy stayeth (here). But, 0
thou having the gait of an elephant, § if thou intend to say
anything, speak it.’ The wife there.at said : '0 king, I have
borne offspring The vlrtooos take to wife for having sons
(born to them) (| Therefore, disposing me of, do thou bestow
the dakskmet on the Vipra ’ "

* ^tstntens^ce ot t p<rpct«al sacced lire

t The mere petutal ei a religious <rork i> Msarded as Vrinsing merit

X This sacrifice Is highly meritorious, and. when perlarmed a hundred
times, entitles the sacrificer to (be celeslial regions It appears to have been
at lirsi eiahlematical, lh« hors* or sane other animil being onl/ bound dunng
Che iicual , but latterly the tuiise wts actually saciirieed Sue Cotebrooke's
f'nlijj, and Asiaiif »ol *iii, p eda—T.

( The elephant is considered as having a craeeful gut

] This noble thought worthy ot out great past oeeurs alio In I\ilid5sa'l
RaghMan^a, Cenlo I, where the poet (nmishes forth a consummate piciare
cl trgil virtues and endowments The soveieigas ot the Raghu nee are
said to hiue married tor iWe purpose of raising ottspring, and not for
pleasure. The mysterious rcUlioDS subsisting tsiwcen the leies In the
matter of reproduction are hard (o compeehend , but here should we net go
to the 'beosts lint perish' for a Verilnhre fiomlfy f Shfoinoii dif cwpjriTeMf
on us to resort to the anl for lessees In tndesUy and ihnfl rroceeJing on (ha
same line ol reflsctios, should we aoi ponder over the ways of n.iiNwli—
whose very name is our minds is aynonynov* •*'*■ ^'^* ^'“"^ *'”*”****"'*
lo the greet far. 'Wuliiply yiwrselves » In Ihu wonderful economy cf
IVoviJence, some thingi at one and the same (line serve two ends . ai Apiwtit*

am!theSfMallsstiacU5sdufe0^toplc»>d**a®'^W‘®*'‘’'“‘'‘*"‘*

MXRKA'JDtYA PURXn \M

47

The birds Slid "Hearing these words the king swooned
amy But (after a while), reaming his consciousness, he
mourned m exceeding distress (of heart) 'Great, 0 amiable
one, IS my grief, that thou sbouldst speak thus unto me Have
I, sinner that I am, forgotten thy smiling com ersp ? Alas'
Alas ' hoiv couldst thou, O thou of luminous smiles, speak
thus ? How can I act up to this speech hard to utter ?’
Saj mg this, that best of men repeatedly kept exclaiming,—
*Iic' Fie'' and then, bereft of his senses, fell down to the
earth Seeing king Hart^chandra lying low on the earth,
the queen, stnken with extreme sorrow, piteously said ‘O
great king, what an inconceivable case is present (unto thee),
seeing that thou, w orthy of (reposing on) coverlets consisting
of the skms of rattktts,* art lying stretched on the bare earth ?
That lord of the Eirth, my husband who had bestowed on
Vipras wealth of kmet numbering over htis } sleepeth on
the ground O the hard Fale' O God, what (unfriendly) turn
had been done unto thee by the monarch that thou hast
reduced to (such) extreme straits this one resembling Inira
or VpendrA 7 ^ Having spoken thus, that one of shapely
hips, borne down by the weight of her husband s griefs,
swooned away too and dropped to the Earth And seeing
his parents thus Ijing on the earth the bov, greatly struck

perpetual on ol race tespectiirelf Out ol (he«e entji one must be primary,
and the ocher secoodiry Sobsistence and maiatenznce of the spec M are
undoubtedly pcitnniy at tending towards the Dinne scheme of things while the
pleasuie reUted to those procestms of miner moment serr ng solely as an
mdciccment and 3 spur to the enetges the pleaiorabJe feel, ng'albe c semng
as the matiTt IS noC an end unto itsrif tint has bearings on the conservation of
I rin;; beings nb ch must be held to be the primary end Tbe bfossorn of
pleasure develops into Life to look on the former as an end i?itsel{ is to tniss
the h^h 5y;n ficance of the otd -lance resalat ng genes s — T
• A kind of deer ,

t In ancient limes to d iCdbute k oe was a great mer t The distribution
of cows wh ch are sacred was pecul arty met torioos —T
X Ten m I! on

{ Krhkta coosijered as /ndro s younger brother

M/RKANDEN \ PUR^NWT

40

fxcrciscd with fear, (llunking within himself), ‘Reduced to a
wretched plight, witliout any means, and (likely to be)
oppressed by the rich (of the earth), whither shall I resort ?’
His wife repeatedly said, — *Do what I say Do not, consumed
by the fire of (the saint’s) curse, meet with extinction'
Thus incited again and again by his wife, the king said, — ‘O
mild one, banishing shame, I will do even this , and wlnt
c\en the heartless are not equal to will I perform, provided
lean utter such a fearfullj Inrsfi speech ' Having spoken
thus unto his wife with his throat choked with the vapour of
grief and his eyes blinded with tears, the king (going away),
said '0 citizens, do )ou all hear what I say Why do you
ask me —Who are you?— I am a merciless wight beneath
humanity 1 am a very lam even more wicked

(than a Jiais/iasa) , and am right hard hearted,— I, vvfio do
not renounce my life, having come to dispose of my beloved
wife If any of you should require for a maid servant her
that IS dearer unto me than life lUcIf let Iiim at once speak
out ere I have breathed my last *

The birds went on Thereat an old advancing

accosted the lord of men saying — Consign unto me the
maid servant I shall buy her up paying the price J have
plenty of ivealth and my darling is tender She cannot do the
work of my household Therefore do you make over (your wife)
unto me Your wife is of those that are workworthy young fair
and good Do you accept the proper price and make over the
woman unto me' Thus addressed by the Vipra king
llariichandra s heart was rent in grief — but he did not say
anything unto him And then having fast tied up the money
at one end of the monarch s garment of bark, the Byahmana

* J/ari(cia idra aid his ik fe and smt bctirg d Sooted of po at

to someth ng 1 ke an instilut on o( slavery ,n anc ent ind a Dut the text
M rat espi cit nnd any def nite concUsioas that may be arrived at are I able to
bn wrong Suflice i( to say that sach a castom lasome farm or other oSta ned
among Ihe anc ent Hindus This botoever is ventured with diffidence— T

7

MXR^.ANDCV^ PI!RXn\M

51

TJie birds s^^<l “As the king «as thus bewailing, the
Vtpra taking those t^^o, hastity vanished among the tall trees
and houses Just then VtfwSfmtra, presenting himself, asked
the king for the money » and thereat Hart^chandra made
over to him the money (he had) But finding the amount
raised by the disposal of his wife to be «mail, Kati^ika,
growing enraged, addressed the king, stupified by sorrow
‘0 worst of Kshatri^as, if thou deem this as the fit sacrificial
daksktna for me, then speedily uilness thou the mighty
potency of my fiery austerities, unalloyed Brdhma endow-
ment, terrific prowess, and unreproved* studies' At this
Harifchandra observed ‘Other (gifts) will Igivcjou, O
worshipful one , wait but (or a while At present I have
nothing , and I have disposed of my wife and boj ’ Vifuii
mxtra answered '0 kiog, only a fourth of the day remameth
1 shall wait this space Thou must not make any (further)
reply ’ '

The birds went on “Having without compunction spoken
unto the monarch these cruel words, the enraged Kanaka
ivent out, taking the money On Vifwantdra hawng gone,
the king plunged between the seas respecii%eiy of fear and
grief, determining his course m all its aspects, began to cry
in loud accents, with his face bent towards the earth 'Let
him that would buy me as his senant for pnee wiiliout
delay evprcss his mind cre the sunsets' And it came to
pass that Righteousness presented himself with hasty steps
wearing the form of a C/janrfa/« i"— -smelling foul deformed
rough , mustachioed , large toothed , fierce featured dirk
hued, with a huge abdomen and tawny stern e)cs
Inrsh-^pccchcd , carrying a number of birds, cngarlandcd
with skulls , wilb a skull m one hand , huge faced terrific

• UnieprOred pleasure M Iton*

t A CAdn;/!!*] OT CA IS barn from a iSil rra r^tftcr an<f A

rnslhcr He li an eufeast lising nl (be cemeterj' anJ en^agec! In aisis rD£;
at ihe cftmJlfOB cf corpJM— T

mXrkxsdcyx purXwm

53

I am, in especial, your <le\oted follo\%cr Tlicrcforc, O Vtpra
sage, deign to favor me To scr>e a Chandala is misery
All my neallU Iiaving been spent, I slial! serve under j ou,
turning my hand to every work , and, O powerful anchoret,
1 shall become jour servant, ever doing jour desires’
VifTcamiira spoke 'If thou art (indeed) mine, then fur a
consideration of an arwui/a* (coin) I make tliec over unto the
Chundahi ' *

The birds went on “When he had spoken thus (unto
the king) the Sioapiiia,^ delighted, niaknig over the money to
Viftatfitira and binding the lord of men, under trepidation
on account of being beaten with the rod having his senses
exceedingly overwhelmed, and disconsolate on being divorced
from all that was deartohima$vvellasfromhisfrtcnds,>—
took him to his own house And, living in the house of the
Chandala, king Hartfchandra every morning, noon, and
evening sang 'Seeing her boy with a woe begone face
in front, the damsel seated disconsolate with a woe begone
countenance remembers me (m her heart) —The king will
liberate us both by earning riches and bestowing on the Vxpra
wealth m abundance —But that one possessed of the eyes of
ajoung deer doth not know that I have fallen into a worse
plight than ever Loss of the kingdom, renunciation by friends,
wife and son sold away and the being reduced to the
condition of a ChandcUa — O the chain of misfortunes
(that has befallen me)' Thus, while living there did
be distressed and deprived of everything daiJy remember
his son and his beloved wife intent oi» him And after

* A hundred rn 11 on

i A man of a degraded and ostcast Ir be son of an L-gra womsn bj a
hshalriiamiXe and classed iv tb the with whom he is ordered to

'live out 0^ t'ne town Vo leeb irom ’ordicen vessdiv an& to wear Vue dioVnes o't Vue
dead to possess no other properly than asses and dogs and to be excluded
from all intercourse with other trhes lie can only be employed as a pubi c
executioner or la carry ng out (ho bodies of tkoie who die irithout kindred —
JVilsen — T

54

irXRKWDCY^ purXnwi

1 length of ttmc Ling Harifchandra, coming under Ins*
control, was employed in barjng corpses of Iheir clothes
in the cemetery And he was instructed by the Chattdala
cijgiged in robbing dead falls of their apparel, —‘D q tliou
stay here daj and night watching for the a^rl^al of corpses
Tor every corpse a sixth of the proceeds must be given to
the king, three p-uts are mine — and two are thy wages'
Thus instructed he went to the quarters of the dci^ which
were then situated to the south of f'arnnasi — to the cemetery
filled with frightful sounds, swarming* with hundreds of
jackals strewn With the skulls of corpses, en itting stench
discharging volumes of smoke, thronged with fitfachesi
bkitiat J viUlas\dtiktHtt\ mdjtfifriirfj, abounding in vultures
and jackals scattered with heaps of bones , smelling horribly ,
rifo with the various doleful cnes of flio relatiies of the
departed — 0 son 0 fnend 0 kindred 0 brother, 0 child 0
mj beloved 0 husband, 0 sister, 0 mother, 0 uncle *I 0
grand father,^ 0 mother s sire,** 0 father, 0 grand «on tt 0
relative,— where art thou gone? Come (here) ^tliecemctcr; )
where there VMS heard a might) tumult of people co'^gm
(Ins fashion mingled with the crackling sounds of Diming
flesh fit, mil mirrow where half burnt and dirlcneil

' , r ChnnHlit

t A mileiolenl »p r t or fieijJ row nj telwtta kn lorrrnat (mp»ad*
ghwi— l)«t al»ajfS f«(ee and w Ard—T

t An rvjl sp fil «n Rcerrnt — th« »v1|:vc pWt cl vKe Cn/;1 pMpl»

J Apoiwrf I 4it<lli<f«goM n AaaniMx wmalioo RiounJi and an mat
Inc corpaei «• ih an abnormal « lal ty lltrtw}:h wb cb (tr drtd raallflCCiT
Iht I incttnrw 1 1 boll upiiglt orauod op lo iHc icrror of ptrion* n<cntJ lo
< 1 o ns IhobWrtd— T

{ A female, twp »ho ike lbe«»nl»>l*r dri sku in Julnj;

I aunt nc ptitH c< lerrorat 'the*' KWnfftwr "'C’w pm d eg prtf
aovUi m ihout harr\r»*^T

• arifiiJd ipeini Wd /rwjf i«*<e

J yjflMdko paifTnilgnBJ label
(i IckUii ltd i.'i 1 1 « aiifd** r irMd^drf*V»/t-«

M^RKANDI^A PURXNXM

55

corpses «>th tlieir ro\vs of teeth slinng seemed to Hugh in
the midst of '(fuiiereal) fires, as If to say, — ‘Tins is the end of
the body,' — where si ere heard the cracking sounds of flames*
along with cries of birds among heaps of bones, the lamenta-
tions of friends, and the checre of Pukiaias ,^ — and nhere,
resembling the roars of the anitersaJ dissolution, were hear^J
dreadful chaunts of bktttas and tetiilns, pt^achas and
Rakskq 0 S singing (in chorus) , where masses of the dung of
cows and bufftloes, surrounded by heaps of bones mixed with
fumes, and various- presents of garlands and lights, t and
offerings to crows, made the cemetery overflowing with
various noises, resemble hell itself And resounding with the
loud yells of ominous jackaU of flaming mouths and the terrific
cries of others sta)mg within caves, the dreadful cemetery
filled with various wails of lamdhtatton, was capable of strik-
, ing terror into the heart itself of (him whose veiy name
is) Fear ^

'•And coursing the cemetery, the king ovenihelmed with
grief, began to moorn ‘O God, where arc those servants,
those counselors, those and that kingdom ? And, 0

Saivya, 0 my boj, forsaking me, wretched that I am, whither
have yc gone throu^ s wnn^}' Thus did he

think, and o\er and over again revolve in hi9 mmd the instruc-

* Some le;its contain a fen addiugnal I nes where were present Fear
and Grief and m ghly Stupor and an hundred Apprehens onj ((ho cemetery^
exceed riglf liij^htlul with cries ol Ok and Alas and imprcfinetcd witU the
sp lit of ruth capable of severini' all earthly Ues and snappinj; all mundane
attachments —the finishing stfoVe of the Disposer in relation to Sm
seeming to have been prepared hy some h gV souled teacher for the instucl oo
of humaDily — the del ghllul sporting giounds of the Desiioyer iires it ble
and unapproachable created by help of various illusions (or the hab tation
of Death terrific and dread/sl uato the fool sh aad inspiring the iviss with
qu escence —where sorrow and gnef and happiness etc meet with the r (final)
surcease

■f Puiiasa — a Chaniila bora of a by a SuJraiil er a SuJra female

J made to the dead

i Bhaya anameoflnmo

M/(RKAN0B\A PURX’IWI

SG

tions of the C/mndata And pile, with lus body rough il] over,
vvenniig i held of hair, smelling offensively, and having i top*
Knot on lus head as well as a staff— lie, looKing like a very
Kdla,* rushed about hither and thither And (crying), ‘Here is
the corpse,' ‘This IS the price that I have received,’ 'This I
must have in excess,’ This is mine,’ 'This is the Kings, 'This
bclongclli to the ignorant Ckandaia ' — the momrcli (seemed) to
have undergone a change of existence He vws nnpp^up in a
blanket composed of la^ Knotted together, his face, arms
and chest were covered with (he ashes of funeral p)rcs,
lus fingers were smeared with fat, marrow, and ashes Sighing
(ircessantl)), he fed on the food of the unnumbered dead,—
nnd was satisfied thereuith and he adorned his head with
their gntiands And he did not «leep in the night, nor
jet m the dny, tnomenUrd) cxclaiinnig,— ‘Ahs 1 Alasl'
Thus were twelve months resembling an Inmdrod years
numbered

"Once on a lime that foremost of Kings, bereft of lus
friends, and having a roogh person, having been fatigued,
was sleeping motionless And sleeping mlhc cemetery, he by
virtue of his hahit of living it llal place, or through the over
ruling of the DtHj, saw in exceeding wonderful drcini (ft
seemed is if) hiving m mother body provideif tiis preceptor
with the dakshtna due unto Imn he, ificr hiving undergone

n cirvcr of misery extending over twelve jeir'. «hoiild at h«t

be libentcd from Ins misenWc condition And he vm
lumsclf IS hiving sprwng in th<- womb of a /’«Wrw t incl.
rcmitnmg there the King then thought,— ■' \(tcr having come
out of thiv, I will pnclisc ihc iighttousncss of ^,ifls ’ Ami
when iftcr this lie was born as Un. ^^on of the PuHist he
was coiistinir) emplojtd m |>crfon»ing ihu punlTntory nicv
sif ihi. diid in the ciiniltf} M hen fit ha 1 arrivtd it hjs
vcv cnlli 5 car, ihc dcii! body of a jvoor though avcompfi-? e J

• The

f A itiiMic i'ktaH a

mArka\oc\a purXsam

57

D sij/7 wii seen to be brought into the cemeterj by bis
friends On being rebuked by him demanding the funereal
fee, the Drahmanat there said ^his ts the (outcome of)
V:fuami/ra’s unrighteous and inauspicious endeavours Do
this office (e\er), thou sinful wight Formerly ha\mg been
king Hartfchandra, thou, in consequence of thy religious
merit having been dcslrojed for thj haring denied a
/frcihmatjn what was his due, hast been born a Pukkasa
through the agency of I'tfvamttra 0 worst of men, go
to hell on the instant ’ Soon as this had been uttered,
the dreaming monarch beheld the envois of yama with
rooses*iii their hands, capable of causing affright (to the
hearts of people), — and he saw bimseJ/ as forcibly carried
along by them And thereat struck to the heart, he cned
out,— 'My mother, My father, where are >e now ? And as he
was speaking thus, he svas cast into a sessel of boiling oil
And severed with a razor sharp saw at the lower part (of
his bod>), he (exceedingly) tormented in outer darkness
began to feed on pus and blood Bom as a Pnkiasa, m the
seventh jear he found himself here as burnt and boiled in
het! and here as heart sick and there as beaten and tortured,
and there as plunged in saline waters and as flaming — and
there as buffeted by winds and suffering from severe cold
And each day in the infernal regions had the space of a
century (At length) from the (lips of the) guards of the
infernal regions he heard that an hundred ^ ears had rolled
(over his head) Then be was thrown to the earth and was
born as a dung gorging dpg And feeding on vomit and
excreta he burnt up by cold t gaie up the gbnsf in a month

* Kavia >9 descr bed as tiaTing a ilooseiD lus hiod wherewith he fastens
people during the r Ust moments—T

f fn hw fr ghUul deecnpOort of bell 111 t(oa has And Irost performs (he
workoflire Th j ir scieni deal!/ catceet A sensal on pushed to its aef/us

o/trn ihroiFs o5 its identit/ eolMrf/— and transloims jlseli into its opposiie ,
thus sweet crnverls slsr.K into b Iter heat sate cold and cooversel/—me1arly

inta p ere ng d ssonance fragrance into eRtuvn, etc The ptijs olog cal
8

MXHkJWUrVA PUR^NAM

B8

Next lie sw himself as (successively) dwelling m the corponi
lencmentB of nn ass, an elephant, a monkey a beist a goat, i
cat, a Kanka* a cow, a ram. a bird, a w orm a fish, a tortoise,
a boar, a deer, a cock, a mile parrot, a female-parrot, a serpent,
and other immobile^ objects, and daily born as \anous
^rcitiircs, he, afilicted mth sorrow, experienced each day as
a century And when an hundred years hid passed amy
-while lie A\as thus lorn as various in/enor animils the king

once on a time saw IiimEeU as sprung in his own race And

as he was there living thus, )je was deprived of his kingdom
through gambling, and being reft of his wife and son, he
ilone went to the woods And there he saw a lion, with his
mouth wide open and exceedingly dreadful to behold coming ^
forward along with a for devouring him up And

then devoured (by the l/ou), he mourned his wife thus '0
•S'rt’ftyd.whither dost thou go now, here leaving me in trouble ?
Anon he saw* his wife along with her boy (crying),— '0
do thou deliver me 0 lord, ivliat Inst thou
to do Tilth gaming? Thy son along with thy wife, J'jrvyrt,
hath come to a pitiable plight' And as he darted forward

exptinition ik pcihapJt&$ TSe part cuUr iwrve ctnlres eonnpct»d with the
evofalien o( an; senjatian having peiMed op (hetr oimest energy on its bebatf,
cease to act —and then nenre cenlies related to the opposite tensat on
{exated in the same reg Oa over against Ibe other centres aa one ma/
naturally conceive sstumsdoiDinion over the locally where the ponecs o(
their anlagonists have been spent— and thua induce an opposite [eeling It
must always he borne is mmcl that every species o( serve centres, I ke govern
menu in the maUei o[ funds has a definite appreciable measuie ot energy
available for the production of any sensalioii anil that this amount be ng
drained entirely the senaatian has not any (utUier 1 le to live People of
onscienlifis hsb Is are apt to Ibink tbal a seiwat oi> may be jntens Sed in
defin (cly if not'iaSn fely— and (bat it may be feft as loog as one weald wish
— wSch IS a very preit m stake as the commonest Rieiital phenoinena con
necled w Ih the sctisoiium carefallyobserred but too plain!/ show — T

* A spec es of herons

t Such Is the text althoogb tfie reference impt etf by ether is want ng

\ A E gvntic fabulous animal with eighl legs lohab ting snowy mountiins

MyCRK^MDCW

59

hither find thither, he could not see them anymore And
itatiored in the sh) , lint lord of men sau her, disirossed
and nthed, ivith her hair ili5Ue\eHed, forcibly curled away,
and exclaiming — Olt and Atasl and crying — 'Save (me)'
And then he sai\ some persons located m the sky, who at the
mandate of the king of Righteousness Mere crying, — ‘Come„
O monarch, O king, Vama hath been commanded by
FifMawi/ra on thy account' Hating been thus addressed,
he was forcibly dragged by that Lord with a noose of
serpents, being at the same time given to understand that all
this was the doing of Vtfuamjfra Notwitlistanding this,
no unrighteous thoughts crossed his mind * All these
miseries which he suffered during his dream, were endured
for twelve years On the twelfth j ear having been turned,
he, being forcibly dragged by the envoys (of Vatna),
saw that lord of men m his native form ‘This is tho
irresistible wrath of the bigh*souJed Vi(v>i)mtra,-~^nay, tbs'"
Kauuha will even bring about the death of your hoy 60
you to the world of human beings, and undergo the remnant
of your sufferings O foremost of sovereigns, on twelve years
having passed, and your miseries coming to a period, you
shall, going fto the earth), meet with good fortune ’ And
then pushed by Yamas envoys, be fell down Irom the
firmament , and on dropping from the regions of yania, ho
woke up from (excess of) terror , and he thought 'Ah * this

* The sufferingi of Jab nbicb in the (uxUnce of the West have passed
for uneed^rable rnisery smk into comparative insigm&iance beside (he horrible
Slifferings-~hell «ti Irte— Vf Nan^kmdra What S picture ol righteousness
comingost triumphant through the Sarg onlea) of misery! Physically great
as Ancient India was— 4nd she was great in that respect-^be was £rcater
by lar in a moral point ol view The feats ol the heroes of the Solar and
Lunar races count {or little when compared w th the signal instances of self
sacrifice d splayed by them Such instances nntrber by hundreds and

thousands —and constitute a moouroent mono gorReouB than Bclshaizars festal
hill garnished with shining silver ood gold and jewells —and emblazoned with
the sign and supctsctiption of tbe Most High — T

mXrMNDC\ \ VVR<>,\\{

(>0

»s hard— U is spnnklin|r silt over i $ore In a tlrcim I hi\c
witnessed a might) «oe, nhose end do I not attain But
Iia\e twelve good jears (reillj') passed awiy as I iv-is
seeing this in the dreamt— be asl.ed in ngitntion the
Puiinsns slicing there Thereat some remaining there
,said — 'Nay/ «hi!e others answered 'Fvenso' Hearing this,
the king struck with gnef, sooght the refuge of the gods
‘Miy the gods grant good fortune imto me, .?e;jyo ind my
boy * Salutation unto the mighty Righteousness Salutation
unto Kruhna the Disposer Salutation unto the Prime of
prune, the holy, the ancient and the undeteriorating 0
Vrthaxhpati, salutation unto thee 0 salutation

unto thee' Having said this, the kmg like one that hath
clean lost the memory of things, became engaged in the office
of a Pukiasa and fixing the funereal fees And the king
was again dirty, with matted hair, dusky, with a staff* in bis
liand and with his sense vvtldered And (hen neither ins
son nor his wife arose in his recollection , and losing his
spmts in CQnsecjuence of having lost his kingdom, he then
dwell in the cemetery t

' And it came to pass that one day, bearing her dead boy
bitten by a serpent there came one lamenting— even the wife
of that foremost of monarchs — momently exclaiming, — ‘Ah my
child * Ah my son ^ Ah my boy f —lean and pale and absorbed
in sorrow, and having her hair covered with ashes The
king s wife said ‘Alas 0 kmg to day see your boy— a moon
on earth— whom thou hadst before beheld playing,— bitten
by a powerful serpent and dead ( here ) ’ Hearing her
plaints, the king of men, thmhmg— ‘Here shall I secure

• Caffi<a by flanfcka>idni po fc * Mpie of a a,iK4aXn
t (fra hav ag R 5 meinocy of the pastXMfd by the ^Kssaie of

a crush ng s°ftow C4a perhaps oalf be paralfelrf in Engl sh I teratare by that
fond old k ng whose tender heart wlarmiig Umll* e( response to the si ghtest
emot anil stimulus was torn aadmai^lcdbi- tJw ckirs of (hose Ogresses ol
h s dunghtCTS — T ,

Mi<HK^NREV‘l n;RXN\M

Oj

the blanket of the <Jcad/ went there hastily But the king
could not recognise his mourning spouse aggrieved in
consequence of a long stay in a distant land, — and seem-
mg to have been horn again And that daughter of a
king did not recognise the monarch, formerly furnished
Willi graceful nnglcls,.hut (now) wearing a matted head
of hair, and looking like a withered tree And seeing the
boy bitten by a venomous snake and shrouded in black,
having marks peculiar to mighty monarchs, the ruler of men
thought ‘Ah the cruel luck ' Sprung in the race of what
powerful prince, hath this infant been reduced to this pass
by the wicked minded Destroyer ? Vcrjly seeing this boy
lying m the lap of his mother, I remember my son, the lotus-
eyed JifihiAfwa 1/ the dreadful Destroyer have not brought
him under his subjection, that son of mine must also have
arrived at this age ?’ The queen said '0 my child, as the
consequence of the malign sentiments of what unrighteous
one hath this calamity befallen us, whose end do 1 not attain ?
O my lord, 0 king, without comforting me thus stricken with
distress, how and where dost thou remain in security? Loss
of the kingdom, renunciation by his friends, the disposal of
Ills son and his wife,— O Providence, what hast thou not
brought down upon the ro)aI saint, Hari^chandra ? Ilctring
her speech, the king, recognising his beloved wife and hi»
dead son, fell off from his place O the misery ' this is verily
Sniv^a and this my boy — cned he and burring in agony
he wept and dropt into a trance And she also recognising
him reduced to that plight, swooned away smillcn with
sorrow, and fell down motionless on the earth And then
(hat foremost of kings as well as his wife returning to
consciousness gave avvaj to lamentations overcome with grief
and oppressed with the weight of sorrow The Jemg said
'Ah my hoy, seeing thy woe begone face lender and furnished
with fair cjcs eye bmns and a nose, ivhercforc doth ncA my
heart burst? Hugging whom to m> heart, coming up cf

62

MARkVVDBVV PUrXNWf

himself, uith sneet 'Pipa ' Papa« onhislips,slnllIsi> —

‘Quid f Child from ([ulhiess) of love? With the taun> dust

of nhose thighs shall my scarf, lap and hmbs be soiled ?
Sprung from my very limbs, thou, the joy of my heart and
soul, Mast sold like chaltelsby this worlliless father of thme
The serpent of a fell Destiny, hiving robbed me of my entin.
hionardiy and wealth and acquisitions, hath at last stung my
child (to death} And gaaing on the lotus-facc of my boy
bitten by that adder of a Destiny, I also Iia\e non been
blinded by tlic dreadful venom * Having vented Iiimself thus,
he with his voice choked with the vapour of grief, embraced
his child, and then dropt down senseless and inert The
queen said ‘From his voice this one appears to be thit
foremost of men, ffartfc/tandra—Ae Sloon in the mind of
learned persons There can be no doubt about tins This
one's nose is as high and curved downwirds at the top * And
his teeth resemble buds like those of that illustrious liigh-
souled one Dut why haUi lhat master of men today eomt
to tlic cemetery?’ And giving up her mitemaJ grief, she
looked at her fallen husband And that exalted one tried by
tnbtilition, distressed, and atTlicted with sorrow for her son,
looking (on her lord), espied the hateful rod And (thereupon
shrieking out)p“l am a Siin/iaiit's (wife},’ that one of
expansive c>es went into a swoon And then slowlj regain*
mg her senses, she spoke rn faltering words,— ‘F le on thee, 0
Dcstinj, who art right hard, hateful, and devoid of dignitj,
seeing link thou hast reduced this one resembling an immorkil
to the condition ol S Lapaka ' Hav ing brought about tiic los«
of hi5> kingdom, the rcnuncntion of ricnd-, md the disposal
of Ills son md wife, Inst fbou not let him ilonc . but thou Inst
imde this monarch i ChanJula O king, to daj wherefore
dost thou not, TMSing from the earth me burning in grief,

— \sccnd this bed’— To div I see not tlime umbrclh or

• I c (iisRiMWUurqciifiie

M/^RKANDHA PL’RXNWI

f.3

l)hrina6.ra,* Gx chCiniara,^ or ixti Wint nrc tiicsc reverses
tint been effected by Fate! Tried by misfortune, tint
foremost of kings before whom formerly while outwalking
the rulers of the Tarth doing the work of mentals, used to
sweep the dust of the earth with their scarfs, —the same (now)
rangeth the unhallowed cemetery frcqucnlj with earthen
nater-pots and vessels in contact with human skulls, fearful
from quantities of hair sticking to tlic threads^ of wreaths
belonging to the dead , covered with grease oozing out|( and
dry faggots , hideous because of the medley of ashes, charcml,
Inlf.burnt bones, and marrow,— wherefrom small birds seared
by vultures and jtckals have taken (heir departure , Inving nil
sides darknened by the fumes of funeral pyres , and where
njght«rangers,()ehgJ)ted with ibe (astp of flesh, are in cesfacies ’
Having said this, the king’s daughter— the receptacle of
miseries and griefs numberless— clasping the neck of the
monarch, began to wail iit distressful accents '0 king, is this
a dream, or a reality? Say thou what thou thmkest, O
(.mincntly righteous one , (for) my mind is stupiflcd with grief
If 0 thou conversant with morality, this be so, nghtcousness
availeth not, and there is no merit in worshipping Vipras
and deities, or in protecting the earth And where (then) is
truth, or binccrity, or kindness, considering that Ihou, cminenly
righteous as thou liadst been, hast been deprived of thy
kingdom ?' Hearing her utterances, faltering and accompanied
with hot sighs, (f-lari(chandra) related unto that slender
fnmedl one how be had come by the condition of a Swnpixha '

* A joWen vessel used on the occasion of royal ceretnonnls
I Common))' called fAiw/ Tbetail of the Um / rumens used Ip whisk oil
flies alio serving as one of the rns/fiMa o/ rojmltf— T »
t ‘I'rHueni and full —Milton Far Lott Uook I — T
I This minute realistic description ■< tiomonc
5 from the iorpscs

<y reminine grace in the eyes of the classical Hindu could iii^C consist with
fatness of person This is an inslaace of sestl etic ref nctnenl — T

^4

mArkandwa purSvam

And weeping long and sighing hot stricken with sorrow*,
that timid* wench also truthfully related alJ about the death
of their boy. ‘.My beJwcd, J would not undergo this
misery for a longer period. But, 0 slender-framed one, behold
my wretched fate that even my self !s not in my control. If I
enter into flaming fire without taking the ChandaJa’s permis-
sion, 1 shall again in anotherbirthhave to be the slave of one ;
or I sh.'ill fall into hell as 4 vermin feeding on worms; or 1
sh.ill be plunged in the unctuous with volumes

of pus, fat, blood and muscles or coming to the wood of
sword-blades, I shall be sorely cut (all over) , or coming to
or the A/a/id Rauraba, 1 sh.^1 suffer (no end of
miseries). For one sunk in a sea of afflictions, (verily) the
renunciation of life is the only escape therefrom The only
boy that I bad, on whom hung tlie perpetuation of my race—
the same hath gone to the bottom, carried away bytfre
irrisistible tide-of Destiny. And how can 7, wretched and
coming under the control of another, give up being ? But
one In distress and trouble hcedeth not sin. Mot In a

* To ariiiTst ifae lileal o( Icmimns Icreclincu u conceived by our tore-
fath«rs, a woman msjt be 'iimid not.howerer.m the arnie of 'wanting courage,
physical or other,’— aociCnt Hindu ladies held up as patterns of female beauty,
having been emloent no leas for their lovelio<.S9 than (or thnr phytical daring
mid moral heroism,— but in the sense o( ‘shy and letiimg ' of 'being composed

of a modesty blushing at its own notions of 'beiug endowed with a delicacy
of sense and sentiment wfiicb, as the consummate btossom of high intelligence
and keen sympathy, etef crstrains itt possessor from ofclcudirg hewelf and thus
rubbing, howeier slightly, againstaBolher,'of ‘having (bat happy considera-
tion for the feelings of ethers nhich leaves things aosaid srhich one less
delicately moulded would consider as absolutely necessaiy on the score of

fitness and justice *— T

f The liver cf hell over which tbedead ate carried by the foJIatvers of

raino— T

t fi'noyu— a tibular vessel attached la the hones at each end, and carrying
MUl air, which is of five kinds, each bavinga seperate set of functions assigned
to it — T

? Names of particular bells, 'SfaiWuraSt' is Ihi 'Crrai ^mraia'—T.

PUKANA\>

C5

beastly birlb, not in the wood of sword blades, not in the
Vailarani is the torment that comctli from the Lemg
bereaved of a son And therefore, O damty-limbed (damsel),
f will plunge myself into the fire blazing with the person of
my boy Do thou parrJon my transgression Permitted by
me, O thou of luminous smiles, go thou lo the abode of th«j
Vt^ra , and^ O slender-bodied one, consider my words with
attention If 1 have practised charity, if I have performed sacri-
fices, if I have gratified my spmluat preceptors, t may I attain

* A mo<lcrn Bengah poet makes sa> to hi» conioft in connection
with PaeoKu— the Rtkthasa chief— 'tamentiag for the death of a son ‘Goddess
thou seest (hia Trident that is in my ttfiCh (his I can annihilate the

Triune sphere But yet it is less fatal by far than tW grief springing from loss
of a son ’

t A preceptor'— a Bf&hmana as a nie— is looVod at in the light of a deity ,
asd accordingly etia veneratiOA with which he >s regarded u sJaiosI unboanded
A preceptor may not be a very worthy ehataeler —nay, as oflen happens, and
now, perbaps, ofienee than not— be may. for that matter be stained by wees
of a vital natore— but his discipfe mast not bate an iota of the wnentisn
that IS his due by vtctue of the sanctifying chrism of Divinity itself To slacken
hia regard for his GorK— to grow remiss in tus attentions to him— is a sm
of the deepest dye, capable of being cteansed by nothing short of perdition

On attainiflg maturity every Hindu is loitiatrd into the mysteries of his
creed— which IS that of tiis race— by bis spiiitoal preceptor An auspicious day
IS selected and a ceremony gone through, cufniinaling in the Guru s iiDparling
in Ihe diseiples ear some mysterious terms symbnlicst cf the faith as well
as some religious fotmulz eitracted fron some scripture Thenceforth the
persoa IS In a fair svay of being saved He was impure before (his, — and had
no nght to be saved llis person was uesanctibed and all his acts savoured

oE am although they night from every other point of view be perfectly

innocent or even highly meritorioos He is now purified henceforth in the
particular phraseology water la his hand does not get polluted The key
to the celestial regions is in the Custody of the Guru and none enters there
save him to whom <he preceptor (ite St Peler of Catholic memory, vouch-
safes to open the gate of heaven The disciple must from this time forth daily
rwmvf vW ihinsKiV Ahr rf'ewvtf ma n iw dertne He ireais liis last , treasuring
them op la the recesses of Sis heart and not alfowing any one— including bis
nearett of km— to get an iDkling of them

The sanctity which surrounds the spiritual prerepler descends to his sons
and grandjons-so much so that the term Chtu pulra-}recrphr s ,o«_

9

MARKANDCYA PURXnWI

(j6

the companionship of thee and also of my son in the world
to come fn this world what is the likelihood of my end
being attained ? Therefore it is even ht that 1 should along
ivilh thee go the way of our son ]/, O thou of lutninotis

smilesj I have (ever) by way of jest said anything in private
'that IS indecent, it behovelh thee to pardon me, who adjure
thee (for it) Indulging m the thought that thou art a King’s
spouse, thou must not from pride disregard the Ddtja , but,
0 auspicious one thou must gratify him even like a husband or
a deity ' Thereat the queen temarked ‘Incapable of endur-
ing this t\eight of woe, I also, 0 royal saint, will consign
myself to this flaming fire along with thee ' "

The birxb rwjiuouwJ "TJ>«3 Kijshffg a Ssasi's)
the king, laying down his son thereon, along with Ins wife,
with hi9 hands joined, became intent upon the Supreme
Spirit, the Lord A'rtrifjarnr, or /fen— Him that is established
111 the tabernacle of the heart— that foremost of the celestials,
VMudexa, without beginning and without end, the
or tlic excellent * As he was conternplaung this,

aynenymoas tfilli eno^ffltlleil l« tbe rcmcncc, has paMcij !nl» a bf

woiU in th< lati£utge ol conlcmpl IlmUaa aie in the baLit Qf cailoirlnc
(licir preceptoi* M-ilb grania of vaiiou* <le)criptiotii and llie iieher among
them foii'ctiinei make aptend il lic<]ucais to Iheir Ciirnr, thua eiuudng lu
Ihemaelrca a ante psaspoit lo ihe tvcsvenlj- ncioea

• I// he l)3it fif)adi»7e)lc«»aMirt*a ileai^nalion ot Hmda

1 and other religioua people wear drew dyed yellaw or red ThU apparel
has at the present day been iBBck troujif inlo TOjue by the fotloweri of
ThfoanpSy Tteiemost have keen some reason whUh Indecel religious
people to adopl this dress , but —as as the case wilh by far the gteatest potlion
ct Hindu refCKKie maanerv sbJ mlenr which otl^iisally had each a base
cfaeaton io aland upon ^ihe metire of (la adaption hairon' been loil— aad
Ingenious people make a shift t« Sttppb ft* pfae» by k plant blecorijeclurr
siliotc Identity with «r apprcausaliftfi lo the truth (here Is na mrint tf
ascTTtalilnj Olien reMoninj *• anileg c»t « p,non mere afllient
with fftthHiJasm ifijn aobrieiy cf sense srtises ,i an In'erenfe senchmy .

I tietoo MftklycflheU 'liMMaoKnlslt assrkea Cai? an Sek is dented
Iron etc

xiArkandcy;^ puR^.VAxr

^7

' all the deities with Vasava, placing Righteousness in their
front, swiftly presented themselves And coming there, they
said,— ‘O king, do you bear, 0 master. This is the Great-
father, and this js the worshipful Righteousness himself, and
these are the Sa-dhym^i^ the Viftcas^O) the MaruU^i and the
Lohapaltisi’^ together with their (respective) vehicles, W — and
the Nagditif) and the StddkasJJi and the GandharbasP^) and
tlie Hudf’as'S) along with the Alvinas , — these and a great
many others — as well as Vt^nanttiya, of whom the three
spheres could rot make a friend, Vt^warnttra also— are anxious
for the good of having you for their friend ’ And then Right-
eousness, Sabra and O^bi’sOJ son came forward before

(4) Aa interior deny ordemi godbelonsieg to a elais contisiingof twelve
ti) Ten in number,— Ir,>i><(«re4ltl>),a40'a(<rul)>), Kratu (fseiiSet) D»itka,
(time), S’ima (desire) iJAriA (patience). A'tiru. FururaeA, and Maimta
They are tvorsXipped p-trt>ru)atly at the tvnerea} ceremony ra behalf of
deceased proe;enitors, known as Br^ih*

(r) Deities presiding over the air

{d) Gaardiant ol the regions,— the Sun. Moon, Fire, Wind, Inira, Vamn
Fitruflu, and Kuvtra

(fj Every Hindu deity has his own vehicle /ndra has his diravafcr—the
eelesiialelrphant Sprung from the Oreao on the occasion of us ebaraing
I'lthnu has 2i<s Carara, monereb of birds, sometirnes considered as ItjAitu
himself, £fris has his bull, Brakmi his swan , Durgd her lion , Canrfa his rat ,
Kirtiirya, the celestial geoerallissiRiO, his peacock , the Sun, his one wheeled
car, &e. These vehicles m all likelihood have sytnholical signifiMiiors , but
vre would not ventsre on any eaplanatioa of the emblems, considering such a
course has far too devious and uncenaio m the absence of any satisfaciory light
on the subject

if) Semi-ditme serpents, bating human laces end the tails of serpents
These beings, in the ifahibhirato, ase recorded as having sprung from hodru,
wife to the sage ATarynyn, in order to people VitUa or sublerftneous regions
(j-) Delies ol undefined altrihotcs, mhaluting the isid air, oi the space
between the tun and the earth •

(X) The choristers of /ndraj heaven

(«) Inferior mamreststions of Jaw. eJeern in number,—
iihitralhna, firdfiUU, Sarffvara, gajranU, SAurufa, rramrita, Afarduta
and //.ra

(l) The DJme t(a kirgctAdnyafnrya, f*lb« cf rifa-jinifra

mXrkandcya purAn’am

6(7

ness said ‘Understanding your future siilTerings, I by my
divine power* had stooped to tie condition of a Swapaia, and
displayed that fickleness’ /ndra said: ’0 Hari^chandra,
do you ascend that region of the pious which is sotglit on
earth by all men ’ Harifchandra said : ‘0 sovereign of the
celestials, salutation unto Uiec. Do thou hear these words,
of mine, which I, favored by thee, shall (ell thee with a
countenance complacent on account of thy having been well-
pleased They are staying there in the city of Ko^ala,\
overwhelmed with grief on my account How can 1 go to
heaven renouncing them? The great sin of forsaking a fol-
lower^ hath been considered as equal to slaying a Dr&hmatta,

• Hjyi. Thj* term, Jike nana, which >s jrenerslJy renierti
his no salisractor/ equivalent in English When a licit/ menifests certain
anerg’/ with the viecvof teshng A pefsOD, beis said to put iortb bis mnyi —
Thus when Hanfekandra wai tried b/ ytevapittra, the latter vvaa exerting
what IS called SU^

t A province having Aj/ndkj^ for Us capital

i Akm to this moral crdioancc, I (nay be perinilted to single Out another
which sutel/ reflects gter/ on ancient India.— and that is 'It is impiety
to withhold aid from one that seeks refoge ' Instances of observance of this
high in}Unctlon— and certainly no other inionction can possibly be higher
or breathe a subliiner spirit of divine sell denial'^ases of unhesitating
compliance with this demand of an exalted morality under erriy circumstance
of dilKcuIly and pctil, ahound in the spacious field of Sanskrit literature Of
Others the story of king l/finara seems worthy of special note, as among the
less known Instances of this kind of se(f>saaillce To try that king Indra
and /ffrti, assuming respcctircly the shape of a hawk and of a pigeon, came
before Vftnara scaled at court The pigeon pursued by (he hawk, fluttered Into
the presenre of the king and eovght for h<f prelection from the (alone of (he
hawk, who, ns he rrprrseatcd was hotly punumg him, delttmtntd on his
sKughler The king promised him prolecttoo when the bawk demanded his
dcroied victim of the king , whom, on bis refusal the hawk began to rate in
set moral terms,— charging him with impiety In withholding •f/Om him that
which Nalnrc had ordained to be b» food nnd latimidating the monarch UmI
if he. or his wife and son should happen to die for want of food, ihtir dealt,*
must be laid to his door The king eonscnting to furnish the hawk wuh any
other kind ol flesh, the Utter Slid that he would agree if the king should

efl^r as much cl his own flesh as would weigh eq latly with the pigeon The

70

MilBKANDCVA PUR^NAW

or killing a preceptor, or murderjugr a woman* or slaughter^

Jng a cow For one that forsaketh a devoted and innocent
follower unworthy of renunaatJOD, there Js no felicity here
or hereafter Thcrc/ore, O Sa4ra, get thee to heaven If in
company >\ith me they go to heaven, 0 lord o! the celestials,

^ 1 shall go to heaven , or I shall go to hell in their company '
iudya spoke 'Various are their merits and dements How
then can you go to heaven along with such numbers?'
Harxfchandra replied *0 Sakra, it is through the potency
of hts adherents that a king enjoyeth dominion, and performeth
mighty sacrifices and Uie Paurtta\ acts As I have

l»in^ gladly eowenUd and lo evi cat pie« iUer piece from fii* 0*rir

body and placa it la tho scale opposite to (^st occupied by the pigeon To
(ill aatoniahment the pigeon seemed to have o weight out of all pirpertion to
that of an otdmaty one —and be had lo apply the knife over and over again to
hti body The reijuisite weight was yet as far from being attained as ever, and

there eras now fiothiog left of hia body save bis staring skeletoo bereft cf all
fjeeh Th# trial had been made, Vffxara had suecesifully passed tbreugb
the dreadful ordeal The gods (heo assuaied their proper shapes and ended
in extolling bis righteoRSness. which said they, was of the highest and
assuring him that by his viriae be bad won tor himself the eternal mansions of
the blest

* People are apt to think that the ancient Hindus had no very great
respect CO sp;tre for the sofCtf sex^-which we presome, is from rhe feet Whet
ether nation that is woitby of being menboacd la the same breath with the
sens of nheraU has conceived the molbeibOod of the Deity ? Surely a
nation winch embodies its highest eoneeption of power and beauty in the
image of a Univnsal Mcdher watcbiDg eeaselessly over her children, could
(lot have anything hhe a degraded idea of wemaahoed Coming
down fcora this speculative height, irl» is spiritaally greater than Siti, or
Bcvilri, or DanayanU or Hen^tianjra s Sai'^ ?Tha daughter of the ‘(varrior
Gileadite,’ or Margaret Roper, Is not endrded With an aureola that is diviner
in its beauty and significance (ban tbal wbidi enatcUs their sisters of the fat
Csfi The iJOfiauiiVO Putina adds another to the instances m which
Hindu womea’ard considered as saend The fact that slaying a spiritual
guide and killing a wtnnan are placed oo lfc« same feolmg. m aigniReant,
tendtiing fnrthct comments superfluous

t The duties of a Htodo wore foimerfydiv'dvd irlo two classes— err
raorlM and/sJrla-the fo'»« inchufiog aeU of pious hherahty, such es
digging a tank cr a well pUnling a groveAmiMicS a teapIeifouediBg aa asylum

mXrkaniscya purXyam

71

p<rr/cjrnted c\crything [that I have actaa^^y done) through
their power, them, my benefactors, I will never forsahe, covet-
ing heaven Therefore, O lord of the celestials, let what
small merit attacheth unto me on fbe.score of gifts, perform-
ing rites, and recitation of religious formulas,* be common
unto me along with -these; and through thy favor let me^
along with them jn one day reap the fruit of my acts enjoy-
able for a long lapse of time * "

The birds went on : “Thereupon saying,— ‘This shall be
so,’ Sakra — lord of the three ivorlds — with a complacent
countenance, and Righteousness, and GailhCs son, t^ifudmilra,
descending from heaven to the earth thronging with ioits
of cars, addressed the people of Ayodh) saying,— ‘Do ye
ascend to heaven' A.nd hearing ftitfra's yf oris, Viftnirmfrn
of fierce austerities, well-pleased with the king, bringing
Rohti&yaa, sprinkfedj the fling's son in the charming city
called Ayodhyi And the celestials together with the ascetics
and Stddhas sprinkled the lord of men And then together
with the king all (the citizens) accompanied by fat and
contented people, as well as their sons and wives, ascended
the celestial regions , and the men began to go from one car
to another. And with his heart filled with delight, the
monarch and lord of earth, I/anfcAaudra, (ascending to
heaven) by means of cars, oblamed wealth untold and set up

lor thr pM>r, etc, ind tbe lattrr, SacnBce, etc Under Ike revplulion vh:ch
Ike drstjoirs ol the race have nnd^ficnv, suck purely Hindu ideaa have cither
hern eqtirel]' swept aira/ trom Ibe mental world of people — or hare bu! a
weak hold on it Such a refleaiOQ (ende tobrine forlh a sigh from all rtgh<.
thinkiog hearts, haring regard ta tie well estlblwhed law of national growth
that all progress to be beoeSoal mast be latnnsic and seif evolved— ihe
spontaneous developement of a nation's geniss and tendencies
* This recitation is meritaiiotis

the descendant of that king, bad Ayottiya for bia capital

i Hindu sovereigns at the luneof their coronation are rinntW „.,h
sacred water.

7-2

mXrkvnde^ \ purAsam

in a city fortified by walls and battlements /And beholding

his prosperity, the exalted preceptor C/fana,* versed iti the
import ot all tliC branches of learning there hymned the
following stanza There lialh never been^ nor will there
ever he, a monarch like unto Hart^chandra He that,
^aJllictec] by lus onn misfortune, heareth this, reapeth high
felicity One aspiring to heaven, obtaiocth heaven , and oii“
desirous of offspring, obtains offspring One eager for a «ife,
bath the same , and one wishing for dominion attaineth
so\ ereignty Ah t the might of fortitude I Ah ’ the great fruit
of chanty * seeing that Harifchandra hath attained heaven
and the slate itself of Indra ’ ’

The birds continued ‘Thus have ive detailed unto joii
all that hid been done by ffartqckandra Next, 0 foremost
nf anchorets do you hear out what remainetli — the disturb
ance of the Regal Sacrifice, which brought about the exter
mination of the earth —as well as the mightyf A rnaka war
consequent ou that disturbance ’

CHAPTER IX

Thc birds said On Hartic&andra having been deprived
of his kingdom and gone to the regions of the celcstiils, li:s
priest the exceedingly ene^tic Vanshtha { having spent
twelve years on the on their expiration went out

* Suirieiarysa the ptecefUtr ot the Asanrr There >i e woh called
S/iieaei/i treat l.g «,f pol 1/ wb ck a perliajts »3 k bc4 to ihU sa^e
t te tke battle belween the <4 ri and the Hcfoa

t A sreit S3se ivho was the family pt ert ef the ^a/iu race of k ngi

■sprung from ihe San

} To tes de on the bmk» of the Otoft is h ghly menlonous « to (ive at
a lociUiy far away from ihat tirer is louked op«a ai ouadaems to impiety aod

mXrkasdew purXn\m

73

of tlie liquid localitj, and learnt e\er> thing concerning the
endea\ours of — the «reck which had o\en\helm

ed that king of magnammous wa)s, of his having been
reduced fo the condition of a Chandala, and hts selling Jus
wife and son to slavery And having heard all this, that
energetic and pious one, who delighted in that monarch, \\a«-
wrought up with wrath against Vifuttmilra And Vaftshiha
said ‘Mine century of sons had been slam b) Vtpcamiira,
and j et I had not been w roth with him as I have been to da) ,
hearing this monarch high souled, eminently meritorious and
given to worshipping deities Brahmanas having been
ousted from his own sovereignly And as the king, true of
speech, calm of soul void of ill will even towards his foes,
meaning no harm (in the world), righteous holding himself
m vigilance,— he who hath been our staj,*— hath been
reduced to these extreme straits along with his wife and son
and servants,— hath been reft of his monarchy and aintcfecl
in various wajs,— that vircked wight— that Brahmana haicrf

74

Xf.(RKAVOnA PI/RXnAM

— that fool divorced from iMsdom, — smit witli my cursCj sliall
come by tlie condition of a heron

Ttie birds continued "Hearing the curse, the Kauiila
Vif^(\mtira of fiery energy curbed Va^tshtha in turn, saying,
— ‘Be thou m A'n ’* And agreeably to each other’s maledic-
tions, they endow ed with mighty potency came by inferior
births— both the exceedingly powerful Vcsfishiha and
VifKiimiira sprung from Ku{ita And even after having
undergone other births, they, possessed of immeasurable
energy and owning might and prowess, fought with each
other fired with exceeding ivratJi And, 0 Brahviana, the
/IViwas two thousand high and the heron was

three thousand and nmety-sixyayaiui high And endowed
with prodigious might, they, striking at each other with their
wmgs, aroused the intense fear of creatures And, shaking
his wings, the heron, with his eyes reddened, smote at the
/4Vi,— and the latter too, upraising its neck, attacked tin;
heron with its legs And dashed with the wind of their wings,
the mountain foppfed to the earth, and the earth shook
at the downfall of tlie mountain And the earth quaking, the
ocean overflowing, flooded the land And the earth, sinking
on one side, i was going to seek the nether regions And
creatures mcl with destruction what by the downfall of the
mountain, what ivith the waters of tlie deep, and ivhat in
consequence of the trembling of the Earth And all,
exceedingly agitated and bereft of their senses, set up
exclamations of Oh and Alas And tlie universe ivas wrought
up greatly, and the terrestrial round was one scene of wild

Vtftimiiraani Vapsihavn-jt mortal foes to each Other and theic fetcs
contests are tnrningljr insetibed on Che p^C of Hiodj scriplitrc

• The SarnU~Tufdiis gttigtnuinnt

t A yayana is a distance meosanoj; fear befas A Irtpi being 8000 cubits
or 4000 yards a rimsw« oiob Englnb nsilrs What a cyclopean

loivl was VofisMd turned inlol He is, hoerever ovtdane by his oiigaroas
adversary But this is of a piece sntb the geitciat fcaUrei st llindu coDCeplisns,
which are commonly collossJ

76

M/^RkASDE^A rLJKX'VA\r

tbcmaw^) Venl^ is great might ’ Thus iccoitecl

by him, bath o( them, struct, with sinme, embcacing each
other afTcctionatclir, forgave each other Tlien adored
by the divinities, Brahma went to Ins onn regions, and
Va^nhtha and Kaugtka also ment to their own asylums Tins
battle between the A rt and the heron, is well as the history
of Han^chaadrn, as soon as heard intcntiiely ,t — cleanse
from sin both the man that recites It and him tfiat hears the
narration nor doth impediment of an) kmd ever befaft
them

chapteh X

JAIMINI said '0 powerful twice born ones, do you by
your exposition remove the doubts of me asking you anent
tlie birth and death of creatures obtaining (in this ivorld )
Why IS a creature born and why doth lie groiv up, and vvh),
with his body undergoing suffenng doth he stay in the womb ?
And how, coming out from the womb, doth he attain growth ?
And how at the hour of surcease is he bereft of his conscious
ness ? One dying reapelh his ments and dements How
doth each act bring about its own frmt ? And why, m
that female vessel where arc digested edibles Oaten, albeit
liard of digestion, — is not the lump of flesh (m the form of an

the helm of himself to Che eaialioo which happea^ to possess him Erer)
ih ng that inler'sres iv it Ibe edutalioi) of the will reflated by worthy aims
and aspirations was considi.red as poraicions as having a. tendency to impede
that culture wliicli realises the ob|e(t ot homan eJcislsnee
* I e the power that cocnelb Of comarplaung the Deity
■ '■ - -whereof by parcels she had fae&id
But not tnitHlmljr- -

millo Act I Sec 111

MARK\NDn\V Pl,RX^^M

77

embr)o), smail of proport«>ns,—JiseJf digested’ Do jou
explain unto me all this, so that no doubts maj hinge thereon
This IS a high mjstery o\ercomjng people \Mth stupor’”

The birds said "This question that jou ha\e asked us is
hard though of surpassing interest , and connected «ith the
existence or otherwise of all beings^ii is difficult of comprehen->
Sion But, O exalted one, do you hear what formerly that
eminently pious one, named Sumaiifis a son, had said unto his
Sire A high minded Brahmana sprung from the Bhrtgu rice
once addressed bis son, the gentle Sutnatt, resembling some*
thing immobile, subsequently to his imcstiture with the sacred
thread,*— ‘Henceforth, 0 do)ou assiduously apply

yourself to the study of the , lending jour preceptor
jn sobriety of sense, and subsisting OD alms Then do you,
entering the life of a householder, perform choice sacrifices
and beget desirable offspring , and after having done this too,
do JOU repair to the woods And, 0 child, when you shall
base set up in the forest, and, forsaking the company of your
wife, lead the life of a mendicant, you will attain that Brahma
resorting whereto one doth not sorrow (anj more) "

The birds said,— “Although thus strongly exhorted, (his son)
owing to his inertia, did not return any reply But notwith
standing this, his father, from affcctirm, kept addressing him

* This lube badge of lb« three superior orden->Ramel7 Dfihmanas
hihatrij/ai aeil 1 at^yat the lowest ordet—lhe ato/rar— haring no hot/
thread distinguishing ihrn la the present dap howerer i{ is mtb
refrrente to the OrdAmanas alone that ibis thread has anj high significance
R7 being [nrested iritb il a Crihnjna ha«a re birth he » eleansed from ihc
the staias which he had csuj;ht In wbat Carljle chaiactenstically calls his
mud-tali through which crerjr person goes alter baving bcec born into
Ihh earth All the Siiu be ronaiiKed prerlous to Ibis aroto be laid to
tbeacepunt cl grreaness altjing iiscU 10 bliodblood. The erremoo/ o( rc

g«n»iatio*i ushers him Into a purer and eebicr stmesphere with ibe tajs oi

Reason radiating all round prrsaded by the breath ol a boljr moral ty and
instinct with glimpses ol the lofinite lleaceterlh is a sacred being and as
lucb mwl saborJ sale hji animal prepcrsiti 3l9liere^-lIr<£Becti cf coascfcnce
acd light tei*''n

78

MXRkAIfDE\A PURXNAM

agavn and again and dilating on tins theme Tims greatly
exhorted by his father out of parental affection ic sncet and
suasive phrases he (the son) with a smile addressed his father,
saying ■— 0 father all that you instruct me to stud} Intli
extensively been studied by me along u itli other branches
t)f knowledge and venous mechanical arts Ten thousand
births and more rise in my recollection And (in these)

I knew happiness and misery and ims engaged in
courses fraught with destruction progress or prosperity And
I also had the society of fncittls and foes and wnes
as well as separation rom them And J siw many a
father and many a mother and occasions of joy and sorrow
I had by thousands And I had i great many friends
and different kinds of sires And I inhabited the female
womb unctuous with urine and excreta and I suffered
from severe ailments and distempers in thousands and
I experienced innumerable troubles in the womb m
childhood in youth and mage — all which I now recollect
And I owed my being to Kshntnjn Vat^a and

Siidra vessels— and again to those of beasts worms deer,
and birdsr— and (ms) m the abodes of royal retainers and
warlike kings as now I havebcen born in your abode And I
came by servitude and thraldom under many monarchs and
I likewise came by mastery and lordship and destitution
And I slew (others) and I and mine in turn got also to be
slain and stricken down by them And I ga\e away wealth
to people —and many an one also gaa c my w callh aw ay And
oftentimes 1 was gratified by fathers and mothers and friends
and brothers and wiies* and coming to indigence I bathed
/j?y counicn'incc asih levs Thus /cioJvjn^ on ihepcriJous
wheel O father of tins world it length I haic attained to
this knowledge compassing emancipation* In the light of

• Ateora ng lo ihe 11 nio Ph loMpheM Iho highest knowtelge bungs
about fn anc pal on \Sork perUnis oat/ to the in list slofie cf » petsoni
spTluiJ cuJiure Sccrjlr* abo beM that Icoowldge issiiluf Tbere is »

^[ARkANDCYA PURAnAM

79

tins all the complement of acts entitled Sic/i Vajtis
nnd Sanion, appeareth to me >oid of any \irtue, and
madequate Hence, what need ha\e I of the Vedas, who
have acquired understanding, who have drunk iny fill of the
wisdom of mj preceptor, who lave ceased from exertion, and
who am sterling of soul ? I shall attain that supreme Brahmc^
state which is dcioid of the attnbutes of happiness and
misery, delight and the sentiments,* as well as the six kinds
of actst Therefore, O father, I shall depart, giving up the
mass of knoii n evils springing from sentiment, delight, fear,

ccrUin aspect o! bnon’ledfe »liKh does conoaKt the latter ivith rirtue Right
conduct depends great)/ on a vivid recollection o( past pleasures and pains
All olher thing* being iSe eaare one Ktvttig t strong nmembranee his past
sufferings and enjo/nents must conduct himself much more in consonance tinih
luoraiity than another wboie— Memory the warder of Ibe braiit t* a fume ’

* There are eight sentiments lo Hindu Rhetoric — vis Sringara or hvt,
Ifaiya or mirth tCarunS or tenderness Raudra or anger (Vm or heroism
Shayanaia or terror I'lihotss or dxgust AJihufa or surprise and Santa or
tranquillity Vatsalya or paternal affection is recognised by some as the ninth
sentiment The use of rutu >o this conneciion is liable to a criticism Rasa
means any sentiment in its reiMefic aspect— I « arosuisan emotion regarded
from the point of view of the Fine arts and as such is quite a different thing
from an emotion as it actually plays in life

t The SIX acts of a ms (■) teaching the Feds (a) holy study,

(3) performing sacrifices (4) conducting the saenhees of others (5) malring gifts
and (G) receivieg g ft* What a noble I fe it was— that of a Dra\mana\
He was to provide not only daily bread for bis brother but also the bread of
1 fc— the vital sap which u to nourish the soul He was to open the eyes of
the ben ghted to the wonder and mystery the beauty and sublimity that environ
us on every band , with the line inscr bed on tbem

The band that miuln ns is divine

And to enable him to efficiently peiform h s h gh mission he was required
ho study h mself And further in order that he m ght be enabled to enr ch
his mind with varied lore and purify bis spirit by ponder ng intently over
lofty thoughts and sentiments other people were directed to furnish him with
the means of subsistence The results that were produced under such a wise
arrangement ivere answering It eras aoder this social prov sion that the
lirihmanas were enabled to achieve istdiectoal feats which are a monument
of the r getiiu* and grsatneis and vriiich comprising wisdmn and culture of

tlebghestsorl command the esteem aodregard of even thcoj/ihred West

So

MARK\NDC\A PURANAM

agnation, anger, ]}l »i}) anti decrepitude, and foregojjig the
ordinances of the tliree Vedas, winch are like the^ fruit called
Kxmpdka^ and winch conduce to dement ’ ’

The birds went on “Hearing his words, the highly pious
father, with a delighted heart, addressed the son in a speech
.thrilling with joy and wonder, saying,— ‘Jfy child, what
IS this that thou sajest? And wherefrom hath sprung this
knowledge of thine? And through what means hath thy
previous dullness been cou\erted into thy present wisdom ?
And 15 it owing to the lapsing of an ascetics or a deltas
curse that thy knowledge, which had been lost before,
hath come back to thee ? 1 would hear everything touching
this Great is my curiosity, my child relate all unto me
as it had befallen (hec aforetime' The son thereat said
'Listen, 0 father, to my history— the source of happiness and
misery,— as to what I was in another birth and also what
happened thereafter Formerly I was a Vtpra, with my soiit
rapt into the Supreme Spirit , and 1 had attained emineace m
cogitation relating to self knowledge And in this birth,
being constantly engaged myoga, I from practising integrity
of conduct, from communion with the pious, from following
a righteous course, and from reforming the ordinance through
reasoning, attained an abiding fullness of joy,— and earned
the position of a preceptor, exceptionally qualified to remove
the doubts of disciples And in a long course of time I
attained the mtensest pitch of concentration But the happy
balance of my faculties coming to he disturbed through
Ignorance, I was, through my madrertence, placed in peril
But my memory did not abandon me up to the moment of
my expiry , and I remember all the years of my existence
which I have told My father, by virtue of my former
practice, I controlling my senses shall again strive in such

* A cucutbataceous plant— (olo also Cueuniis eefa
tynMus derived from dm niepree atm aaJ /j/fd — irliAt ts r/pc ae taacace
It IS called tii'u&r or mn in Beneall

MXRkAVDPW PURA\\M Sr

*1 %vi> that I sUall not ln%c to put 103 self to a like labor
(anew) Tins reminiscence of previous births, A\lnch, as the
fruit of knowledge and gift, is mine, is incapable of being
achie\ed by men engaged in observing duties enjoined by
the Triune^ morality And resorting to the concentrative
intensity acquired in a former life, 1 shall exert myself for
obtaining emancipation Therefore, 0 exalted one, let me
hearken to the doubts that abide m your heart I shaif,
rontnbuting to joor pleasure on this point, be freed from my
debts to >ou

The birds continued “Then the sire, regarding" hts
speech, asked the son anent even bat you have questioned us
about— the birth and death of creatures The son said ‘My
father, do you hear a faithful account of what I myself have
experienced now and again This wheel of a world is
wndetenorating,— and yet it hath no existence + 0 father,

* The duties prescnbtd (O' tti« tkree yajUs zvd Siman

t Aeeording to Hin^ monlnt, thi» vrorld s»« 1 )atorr, there is oo'hmg
fiubitantul in it That it appears t» be real m the irork of which isthe
Dirine Spirit leorkififf rti chf world fora perpoje Tfi« re a popa)*t application
of the Idealism of the tWdRfd-~-one of the sir Philosophical Systems of the
Hindus By the way it is temaiVahle to sole the inflgence which the highest
and the most absirese conceptions haToesercited over the Hindu society,
Tecurnn^ to th; tbooghts of the imiIIido frefuentiy asd shaping their life and
action What can be more sohile than the ideas embodied in the terms safliva
rajas and tama, ?— Yet Hindas, inclediiig people far down in the scale, are
found Co use these in ftnnecCion With ref gion not eiiOften undenUnJing ttirir
import, however dimly it may be Saeh ideas more connected in the popular
mind with whit IS called onconstioas cerebration than with overt acts of
consciousness so to speak have Qeveitkeless their due share m determining
cbirafler and pttnciples of conduQ ■

The Hindu doctnne ol the world bang diasory is capable of being looked at
from another stand point lolonniiig all that seems— this material mechanism
—IS the spiritaal system of things— the only reality But under a dispensation
of the Ueity, whose purposes arc past finding cut the unreal it is thatseems

the real-nay generally the only reality aid stjftjies the perception of people
louching the spiritual costuos on which thephenomenal world 15 supeumposed,
tl

MARK won A m7R^VA^f

commatided Ly you, I unfold io you eveiyllung (tfni
befell me) up to the period of my expirj, — and this hone other
IS capable of.

In this body (of ours), the biie* famed by a strong uind,
waxmg strong, flametli up, although having no fuel to feed it J
—and piercelh the vital organs And the wind named UdAnai
then courselh over it, and thus obstructs (tlie passage of) the
meats and drinks taken And those alone that hate gn cn
nuay food and drink to people experience comfort at tint
hour of danger And then he Ihit hath dispensed eclildes
with a heart purified by careful n^rcl, finds gratification

and itie vratU q( spirit bk>»t sijjUt of anO ilovs not ti> c&nse<]iierce exeieiiv
any practical inilutnee on lif*

• Air, Dihand Phfegm is the principal cc/Mfifitcnes of ^^c hedf, are
iKe main instruments of hcnlil) and itiaca^e The eijuipoise of t&ese is health,
—the disturVanen oi iKetr harmony Is— duevee When fh* Air get* the iipp^r
hand, it brings on ailments peculiar to it,— and so also with Iheoklicis The
Fuke discoTcrs which ot these kis become morbid, or, m (hs picturesque
medical phraseology, ‘e/iragnl’ The sleUcaey arid al,il) displajeJ by
tiiodu physiciacrs in diagnosing diseases by tbss method, is extraordinary fly
examining a patient s putse, a physician would sometimes predifl (he tiny and
hour o( his expiry Ssch cases are in the rccollc^ion of many, and otlcst the
•ounJnesa oS thn prorcuA

t There are fire kinds of sital air* in thesystem,—-/’rJ«ir /t/SrinSiiinlnn,
r/ifiinn and rrano One of the forrnost medical works of the llmitu*,
/ijh/anfu hn iit/a,) on lb« sobject of the tils) nirs, says 'Trfrifl icsidcs In Ihc
henrt and throat It is the stay of intdfect, the senses and mind , 'ind cvuscs
spilling, sneezing, cractatiois. rrspintion, and (he entrance of the food into (he
stomach Rcjitliirgin the chesf, I/Mirjt coants lit ihe^je, (he rare), and Uw

llifoal, andgeneralesjhe temW-RCy to nllertnce, eserljcin, spirits, strenflOr,
complexion and vigor of memory t^Sna, located in Ihc breast, circulates
throughout the system Its course is very swift Motion, the upisard and
dowrwaid movCncnIs of the hmbs winking, and other duly fnnctioni, are
performed by this air fjndna helps digestion Although siiuatcd near the
fre of the stoimch, yet it coursesaM (be viscera Tin JiimJ/nr alrsloiwthe

food aii-iy ir the *tortiach—aoJ apread/ngiti al Jl» digfJlIon wiih Ihfl

ielp oi the fire there It atio brings down unne and cxerels Slalionrd in
the anus, .(/iand pervades Ike hips, the biadJer, the penis and the Ihlghr ,

diichaigo scmeii, the mcmes, excreta, ainj srice , auJ hiipgi fvith ufripiin,. ’

RK \KDi:\ \ rUR ^ s \M

83

c\cn Without actually taking [ood AnJ he that hath never
spoken aibuntruth, that hath never ceased to regard every-
one with love, lhat is a believer,* or that bath a reverential
frame of mind,t attaineth a happy death He that hath been
engaged in worshipping deities and Brcihmanas, that is free
from i!i w ill,j that is pure in spirit, tfiat is bounteous, and that
IS bashful,^ (Iielh easy. He liiat doth not renounce righteous-
ness through lust, or anger, or hate, and that performeth what
hesa}eth, and that 1 $ meek, attameth a peaceful end But
he that withholds M ater (from one athirst) or denies food
to one that is hungry, burns (in thirst) and is knaweil
by hunger when death presents ilseU Those granting fuel,
conquer cold, and those granting sandal, heat , but those that
afflict people, come by torments forcing out Iife.^ And thoss
* A disbeliever fare* very ill Uthe hands oi our wiiUrs R4ma Chandra
hail to deal with one swfi in the persoo ol a disunguiybcd sage— ysed/i
yatrah stood on (ho raian of things as is (he way ivitb such people forgetting
that things spiritual must sot b« nude amenable lo a smUrial measure , and
that there 15 an eye other than lhat «( flesb—cvCD the eys of faith— to whieb
these bidden things are revealed, and that it is the ear of belief that receiTus
scet<( measages fiosvtbs lips of the Lord in monests tedoleat of aspiung
rapture

t Hindus of yore valued reverence very highly Indeed, reverence and
rcl gicn may be considered as conveitible teems as the essential constituent
cl tlic religious ecneCfoa is venciauon. Reverence is the human spirit falling
prostrate >n adoraliOD before a Bring of io5oite power asd holiness and this
ts at the (cundation of what ■$ called religion A person without reverence
ts a [iiglitful monster flard of heart he lacks that which can,

— •alcbcmise * • hates.

Into the gold of love — — — ,
and like the man without music he is

' fit for treasons, slrategeais andspoils’

t Freedom from ill win IS the prime virtue is a housejiold word anoBg
the Hindus and thii. common com of speech radiaol with a divine moral

alchemy passes from mouth to month id Oldia.nrjr converse the home the
way the market place the shop the house of prayer etc W hat may not a
Hindu yet eipea lor the spiritual progress of his race, whoa ho divclls dclighU
tdly on this one circumstaoce ? *

j relates to ih- 1 gcftteus skant of Gray

Bi

>Norsl of men lint %n. tli< lulliors of (Kiisc i^nonncc m
people, arc ftfilictcil «iilt tmglitj 'illrighl, and tried, b} fierce
panes And tlio->e lint licar false nttnu'S, or speak false,
or carrj out tbe commands of a tateked person, or run down
the IVr/(7, die III iffnoranct , and frightful anti avicked retainers
of Yama brntiunp foul odours around and eijinppcd aiil/i
poniards and nnCLS in tbeir hands, approach them at their last
momcnl‘5 And wlicn these come aaiLliui the rangi. of their
ken, such men trxmhle all oaer, and set up ceaseless
lamentations for brothers and sons anti mothers And then, O
sire, their utterances hccotne inarticulate and run on one fetter
onl), and their cjcs roll, and their faces are dried up through
terror and siglis And then heaving brcaili, with Iheir
sight dimmed, Ihej, racked with pain, renounce their
coqvonl tenements And then, walking before the w md, they,
for undergoing torments arising from their acts, assume otlier
bodies not sprung from fathers and mothers, which neverthe*
less have age, condition and habitation assigned to them even
ns they were to the other forms going before Then the
emissaries of Yama hastily chain them with strong shackles,
~and drag them, shaking, towards the South ^ And the
emissaries of K/tot/i, emitting terrific inauspicious jells, drag
them through grounds rough with ifrifflr t thorns, ant hills,
pins and stones — glowing with flames at places and
covered with pits at others-Kind blazing with the sun and
burning with its rays And dragged by the grim fcnvojs)
and eaten by hundr«ds of jackals, sinners rdpair to Yama s
abode by a fearful passage But those that have distributed
umbrellas or shoes or mefi that have given away clothes or
those tint have clisptnsed fate, easily pass this way Under
going such suffering people afflicted with sin losing all
corvtrol over themselves are on the twelfth daj taken to the
City of the king of Rigliteousness And when tlieir frames
• Snulh S tl e d reel or, pres ded over by Ya tti and s typ cal of h m
t A species ol grass held sacttd and mwh Mcd m rel g ous csttmonics

■MXRKVNDnSA rtRXsw

85

are burnt, thcj experience great burning, and wlicn their
bodies are Vcatcn or cut, they feel great agony And u hen
such a body of his falleth awaj, a creature, m consequence of
the adverse tendency of his acts, suffers for a long while even
when he hath entered into another body And brought there,
he feeds on the sesame and water, or the hall of boiled nce^
offered bj his relations And an individual reapeth comfort
from his relations rubbing their persons with oil, from their
kneading their limbs, and from their taking their meals
And he has his uneasiness removed hy his kindred lying
dow n on the ground + And a dead person is gratified hy his
kinsfolk performing acts of charity t And on the twelfth day
taken to his own home he viewetb it and feedethon the ptnda
and water that are offered on the earth After the twelfth
day, the person, pulled (by the envoys of yama), beholds the
fearful iron city of yama having a terrific aspect And as
soon as he enters there, he secs yama in the midst of the
Destro)er, Death, and others,— having crimson eyes and
resembling a mass ol crushed collyrium m splendour with
a face terrific with teeth and a dreadful frowning mien,—
that lord environed by hundreds of distempers having
deformed and dreadful faces carrying his rod , might}
armed, w ith the noose in his hand,— and exceedingly fearful
to behold A creature comclh b} a good or an evil condition
as he directeth One bearing false w itness or speaking false,
goeth to Rauraba Now do you learn as to what Raiiraba
IS like It measurelh two thousand yoyana! And there is
a pit there which is knee deep and diflicult of being crossed
And levelled with heaps of flaming charcoal it is heated by
a tract of land burning fiercely with live coal In»this region

• This IS offeredon thcoccasionofrhe«rarfrfAa To this day people oEcr

Ptadas lo ihe Hants of ancestors al celebrated place of pilgrimage

t Der ng the p nod cl mouiauig Hindus he over the ground on
bbnVets cushions of Ku(o tie

t Gilts arc dispensed on the occasion of the Bnddha

^t(Kk\SOn\rURXN \M

m

the followers ol iWa Ici^c persons of wicked dcctK And
burnt with intense bre, lhc> tush about wildly ‘hiJlicr and
Uiillicr, and their feet at csery step gel torn and injured ,
and within a <hy and n night Ihcj rtn Iwit once onij take away
their feet (from thence) And nlien they haic thus gone oier
a tliousmd ^pyantis, lhe> arc let alone And then for the
puqiosc of their sins being cleansed, the> arc tiken to another
such hell And after tming pissed through all the hells, the
sinner assnmclh i bcastlj life And (lien pissing through the
incs of worms, insects, and flics, heists of prej , knats,
elephants, trees , horses ind cows and through sarious other

painful and sinful Incs, (hc)am%ing it manhood, is bom as a
hunch hick or an unbeiutiful person, or a dwarf, or a Chandal*
Pukka^a And next he, bearing the residue of his tirtut'-
ind vice, gocth up the cistes in as ascending scale,— {those
o\)Stl((ras, Vitioas kings,* etc, Vtprahood, the state of
the celestial soi ercign,— c/c ind sometimes, committing
VICIOUS lets, falletht into the hell beneath Do )Du
now heir me relate how fare people of righteous wi>s
These men follow the course Iiid down by Yarns, with
Ca»dharhas singing and Aptarat dancing— and weirmg
mny a noble ind bright wrcitli they march in excellent cars
decked out with chiins, bangles and other elegant ornaments
And persons lapsing therefrorn, ire born into the races of
olherj high souled kings — and protect people engaged in
worthy offices And after having tasted all the choice
enjojments of existence, they course upwards But 1/ they

* Tlie hsh/ifrijia t»ee whove fmrtian vas mil tar/ aaigifteTtiiiuntol
^ $ lir CdSseqacDCB at tbcir relg ous in«iit \jc n(; exhuiuVctl Ui^a

Quest on or consecvatian of energy A person «ii]i>/« happ ness in heaven by
virlue of hi) fOOil JeeJs On Ihelallrr being drained dr/ he has no Juilbfr
force susta ning him in ii 9 place— 4nd down kc drops 1 to l>uci/cr son of (ht
motii ng

i Perhaps Ih s o!h<r iwples tfie persoas having been previou Jj bers
intKcinccaol jams b gl igukd bngs

M;<RK\'^DC^A rl/RXsAM

S7

fall into Uic descemlmg wiy, they fare as formerly All lliib
have I relStcd unto yon anenl liow creatercs suffer miser)
Now, O Vtpm saint, listen as to how the embrjocs are
produced

CHAPTER XI

' Tiir son said ‘As <oon as Ihc mile scotl ts clTuscd info
the menses of a female, one sent out from licll or heaven
enters into It * And, 0 father, in consequence of the two

* OeaJ matter n »o radieallji dilTrrttil from life that Hindu thinVers ceuUl
never brifj themielees to tnlrflain ibc iJet ©I t^o one bcjnj deveOeped into
titc other withoet the action «l additional hew lorces and encrsiea which do
not, and, in ih« nature of tbiojie cannot ejiM j» mere mtuer And ilKiriieir
1* countenmeed by the attitude oi the (or«niost scientifie worhera o( the
nliKirrnlh ccftiu'y eveh a* lludcy end Tyndell parlielity for the eupernatcral
Is net one of whoso thotteommi's. whatever ethers may be theirs These
men haiO aroired that to he as th<sy boon able (o so *ntO (he rn^ttcr, (hey
Inrarltbly find lifo eroircd out of life —and never life developed from mailer
told of life The cti^f yawoME belwecD fife (sdnofife is prcfoundcr and
darker thih that infcrnit abysm— the rtiyn of chaos and of Old N'Shi

Furdicr, (he ffindii phifosophcis never set Ihcmselres the task
of bilJgirj over, the impaasatile hutas that divides iwnd »p<f
natter Tho utter irrsllonslity in nflimate analysis oi reducing mind and
its mamrcitilicns to mailer had been conceived home by them, and they
aecoidin(;iy hare ncrei committed the dhaSrdity of translatinj; mental
pHenotneoi Into mateviat teems Wcstcxit rwwtiaUt** while etide-ivoutinr
to male nivay with niind. f>»ni£e to farget that it ij as rot, tna/ beings that

•he.!} v»xn. Wf-oril '>vS. tU. •fca.-A •oexe^yrJteiceK; oosonning fresuf^its (hC

ciiitrnce cf a mtnJ to compiehend it, and that the caiitenee of thiabcirs
smilied, thero UnsVhing left lot them to convince >l)nd, ft must always
be kept fa VK». tan nrret be teapt Ofcr etesn under any conceivable process of
thcoght Arch.mesfcsbO-iMfdtKathccouIJmotelSeesrth,,! just le ccoU
su'.teaalau.til,! lunatU mdepTs’eattf accaitb , ln at tA.t

88

HABk\NDC\ \ PUrXNAM

kinds of seeds being influenced by him that they can aft mv
to stability And then they grow into a protopbsib, and next,
into a bubble shaped thing and then into a lump of flesh
The subtle genu that sprouts up in this (mass of llesli) is
named Ankura And then are produced severally the fi\e
limbs * and next the minor limbs— -fingers, eyes, nose, fire,
and cars. — are developed from the (pnncipalj ones, —and from
these arc produced nails etc And then down appears on tlie
sktn, and thereafter hair In this way doth the (embryo)
increase along with the uterus And even as a cocoanut fruit
grouet!) with its case, groweth the tetus nith its case,
remaining with its face bent down And it grows placing its
hands downwards along with its thighs and sides the
thumbs are laid (upon the thighs) and tJic other fingers
in front oi them And at that time the eyes -ire behind llie
thighs and the nose is between them And the hips are at
the two heels, and the arms and legs remain outside (them)
In this way doth a creature lying in the female womb grow
up , and (the embryoes oO other creatures (than man) lie in the
womb agreeibly to their respective shapes It {the fretiis)
attains firmness through fire, and subsists on what is eaten and
drunk The stay o{ the embryo m the uterus varies in conson-
ance w ith the virtue and nee (of (he creature) t The cntrail
named ff/juyanf attached to Its navel is fixed (at the other
end) in a cavity in an cntrail of the female , and with its body
nourished fay the meats and drinks coursing in the feinaL
womb, the creature acquires growth It then remembers
many 1 sphere of existence, and pushed this way and that,
it comes to conceive an aversion (for this stale of being)—

/ 1 evut { fesstbfjf iakt n/* whU S# »tt fkt he ecu Id nsf move If

Thu u ]uit the case our materuliste are in concerning ihc thesis of the
dependence ot mind On maUet lide Sttechvns /reot JSrrirlty by
AtezsnScr Campbell Fraser and F«niee*/itt/i<«/« e/ -which, as a

lacld eiposulon o( Che IdeU Tbeoty a 'alone la lU £bry '

* The luo arms the Iwo and the head
t 1 f in lbef«r(Berl!a<«otbcl"ff

Oo

kXrkandcva purXnaNt.

brought down to perdition, are aJFectct] l>y a deep grief fn
the celestial regions also great is the grief (that is etpenenced
by the inhabitants] ; for from the time of their ascension^
e\ery day each hath' this thought abiding in his mind, — '1
sltall fall ' And seeing the peo()lc of hell, the others are
inilucnced by a mighty sorrow, tliiuking night and day,—
‘This condition I shall be reduced to.* Great is the pain of
residing In the womb ; of being born of a female vessel and
of the infancy of one when born, — and (great also is] the pain
of decrepitude. And subject to last, and malice, and anger,
youth is fraught with immense pciin ; and old age is all
unhappiness; and death is the culmination of misery. And
great is the suffering of those dragged by the envoys of Yatfia
and cast into hell. And again birth in the womb, and death,
and hell In this way do creatures fast bound by the bonds of
nature revolve on the wheel of this world like (the hand of) a
clock, and repeatedly reap misery. My father, happiness there
IS none in this world sstarraing with hundreds of miseries t

* Birth of a female vessel ■$ considered one of the evils of existence ,
end, ceriainfy, hunenity ties so reason to be proud of the purity of the epritig
f/om lyhich J^civ the ivaters ofrislife Some of the most idea) characters of
the Hindus, such as SitJ, Draupattf, Drtrui,eic are snsprung from females

t To students of En|Iish litctalwre all the sufferings of creatuies m hell

desctibed here slrilre as almost too exclesieely physical , there is hardly any
considerihle item corning under the head— ‘Woe ’ Acnong the many tnisenes
which the wicked are trade to undergo, Milton singles out me/itat afEticlions,
such as loss of hope,—

‘Heft never comes that comes to alt '

As respects the counterpart of misery— happiness— no purely mental

delight IS specified eis the lot “of the inhabitant* of heaven The dwellers in
the blissful regions enjoy nothing like ibe ‘vision beatiBc,' ivhich the great
Puritan poet mentions as a bigb felicity of celestial existence Considering
that in prupoition as the niinil is supeiior to and nobler than the body, mental
sufferings must be more vital and far more drgmfied in an jeslhetic aspect than
physical pains,— the absence of tkis element from Ihe Hiriandtya Purina
comes to one as a benumbing blank It must not, however, be supposed that
this omission obtains throughout Sanskrit poetry— the very existence of (he
one word— 5ayiya, frnfi/iide— indicating that Hindu amagmation was not

^FXRKA^D£( \ PURXn VM

9 ^

Uh) then shall I, stmmgfor dcincrancc, fo!lo\\ the Tnune

moralitj ? ^

CHAPTER XU

' TifE father said *JI> chil<t Ihou art to be pra!=ecl By
waj of instruction, thou hast delnered a pregnant discourse
on this wilderness of a uoHd Herein thou hast

described Raiirai,a and all the other hells Do Ihow, now,
0 ma^animous one, describe them in detail ’ The son said
'I ha\e first descnbed unto >ott the hell called Raurava Do
you now, 0 father, bear of that entitled It

hath an area u( twelve tliousand^nyuna^ There the ground
15 coppery, and underneath It fiaatmg fire And heated by
that fire all the ground having a splendour resembling the
rising Moon and" terrific to behold or fee? appeareth splendid
There the eniissanes of yir«« leave smners with their hands
and feet bound fast , and thej roll m it And being eaten
b) crons and herons owls, scorpions Xnats and vultures
they ate pulled by them on the vraj Anti burnt (in fire)
tlic) bewildered, keep exclaiming 0 father 0 mother
*0 brother,' *0 sire’, — and cxcecdmglj agitated they do not
attain any respite If is after «/« on a/utas of years have
passed by, that people of wicked ways find deliverance (from
these suiTenngs) There e another (hclll calkd Tama *
severely cold It is vast as the l/tf^ar«Kr«i« and enveloped
vvilh darkness There men m dense darkness ni'h at one
another, and coming at each other remain clasping each

tODteol *> til p «!«'« e' I""* pl*»»a»M ind p>ia» la

ilw IBJ. »r>3 /"'rb ^ ItUuKdaoSeiicfs

* at <tulisal}

tel! b 1 tbi i

g2

W^RKANDEVA fVRAUA^h

Other. And in consequence of their being tried by cold and
shivering, their teeth break up, — and they suffer frgm hunger,
thirst and other alBictions. And a sharp wind blo\sing over
the cold tract rives their bones, — and they, affected with
hunger, feed on the fat and blood that run dou a from the
fractures. And gathering toother, they, whde engaged in
sucking (the fat and blood), are whirled away. In this way,
O best of Brahmanas, do people suffer horribly so long as
theit impieties are not worn out There is another principal
hell named NiLrintana. In it, O father, potter's wheels are
ceaselessly rolling Getting up on them, men arc cut from
the soles of their feet to their heads by means of fata! threads*’
held, by the fingers of Yanta’s folbners 0 foremost of
regenerate ones, these do not for all that lose their li\es , and
the parts of tlieirbodics cut off by hundreds again combine t
In this way are sinners severed so long as their sins are not
clean spent.— Do you now bear me describe the hell called
Apraliththa i remaining In which people suffer torments
incapable of being borne There are wheels in it at places
and clocks at others — the causes of tortures to men of
wicked acts Some men, fixed on the wheels, are whirled
on, — and they cannot budge therefrom for a thousand years.
And fast bound on the machinery of the clocks e\cn as
a clock IS fast fixed in w'ater, people are rolled away,

\ omitting bloud again and again, and ^ omitting LIoocl
through their mouth*!, and nith tlieir e^es drenched with
tears, those creatures undergo insufferable agony. Then
hear me describe another bell called the Wood of Svord-hladcs,
Avlnch flames up covering the earth for a thousand^tyfl/icr.
The denizens of tin, infernal regions, burnt by the fierce and
Ictrific rajs of the sun, ever drop into this pl.icc. In it (here

• PoUeTSCUt out tirthen poUbjr intaos ol a thread applied lo ihecliy

lU It It rolling on the nlictl

t Miliofi has a like ids* ittalin; to the bodica i.t »nQ,cUd hy

V. sundi

MXRk\NDC\A PLRXN^U

93

IS a charming vood furmshed wth cool foliage The Ica>es
O foremost of Dmjas consist of the blades of swords
There hark aloud of powerful dogs Kith large mouths
and fearful fangs,— and temfic like tigers Beholding that
‘dewy tassell*d * umbrageous wood Iy*ng before them
creatures parched with thirst rush towards it Andhaiing
their feet scorched by the fire burning on the ground they
sore tormented cry out — 0 mother' 0 father And as
they reach the site the wind, shaking down the sword leaves
blows — and the swords drop on their heads And
thereupon they roll on the earlJi here a mass of fire and there
all aglow with flames darting around And then anon the
dreadful dogs begin to tear the many bodies of theirs as they
cry (tn agony) f have now 0 sire depictured to you ihe
Wood of Ztiori blades Next do you beark&n lo a description
ftf Taptakumhka, which is even more fearful ilnn the other
Al! round (this hetl) there are heated pans belching forth
flames filled with iron dust and boiling oil resembling Hames
Into these vessels the emissaries of Yantet cast creatures of
wicked deeds with their faces turned toivnrds the grounii
and thereat, they are fried there with their bodies bursting
and foul with fatly exudations flowing out t And witli llicir
heads eyes and bones bursting tlicy arc vehemently lifted
up by ferocious vultures and are again thrown (into those
icsscls) And then with hissing sounds their heads bodies
tendons flesh skin and bones being Jiijuif cd arc mixed up
with the oil And rolled about wclh a tadit in lolunics
of that oil eddying round and round impious wretches arc
pounded there Thus have I O father described unto jou

(the hell called) Tapiakumbha .

• Through all ihe dray taisdrd ivood — Tenn/soo /» Mrnor an
f The synuctical arrangemroi »» MFes-hM anJ naaCj in ihc "V tt
per'i'ceu ‘jr

04

M^RJwVmwruXN \M

CHAPTER XIIl

, 'The son sani 'fn the 5c\ciitli birtfi preceding tins I
wis bom in the Viii(}a nee For Iming formcrlj obstructed
llie npproicli of k,inc to •» reservoir I, m consequence of tint
act n IS tlironn into a Jiorrible helJ, fearful with flames, and

swarming witli iron beaked birds^mity^ with streams of
blood issuing from the bodies (of people) wrenched v%ith
engines * and filled ^\iih the enca of smners dropping and
being cut And cast there I, tried by a miglitj heat
and oppressed with thirst and burning numbered an
hundred >ears and more And it carae to pass tint one
day there came to me a cool fresh brcerc gladdening
the heart, Wowing from a vessel of sand filled with meal
mixed with curds And at Hie breath thereof, the patn
of the people ceased, and mine also was that supreme
delight which is felt in heaven by the dwellers m it And
(thinking)— \STiat is this?— we, with eyes expanded and
tremulous with pleasure, saw a jewel of an excellent
person hard by And an envoy of yama ternfic of
aspect and possessed of llie splendour of lightning bearing a
rod m his hand, went before him shovving him the way and
saying— Come this nay And seeing that hell rife VMtli
torments in hundreds that individual moved by compassion,
thus addressed the servant of Fima Q adherent of Fhi/iff,
tell me what misdeed wds mine that I have been consigned to
this dreadful bell filled with temble torments ? 1 am famed

• irar says

That I he an en^ ne wrench d my frame c( nature
From llie fad place

Frcm this it would appear that mslniiBCBU of torture were in vogue at
ibe o£c of the couiposit on of tbu Araiit

f iXrkandcya puran \*t

95

for my learning in the race of my fathers Dorn ui Vulcha,* I
ruled people well And performing many a sacrifice, f
protected the earth And i never turned assay from fight,
nor did any guest go away disappointed (from my door)
And I never disregarded my fathers,or the deities, or servants
And [ never set my heart on others* wives or wealth Ami
even as kine come to a trough,(the Afancs of) my sires used to
come to me during parvas,i—-and the deities on (particufarj
lunar days Both the tsAlal and paurtfa acts of that one
come to nought from whose habitation they go away sighing
The sighs of sires§ abolish the (accumulated) religious merit
of seven (successive) births, and those of deities, without
doubt, destroy the religious merit of three (consecutive)
births And tlierefore it was that I was ever engaged in
serving the sires and the celestials Wherefore then hate I
been consigned to this wondrous dreadful hell ^ ”

* A d itriet in the province of Bcfar tkeeameae tbe ancient Mithildor
Ihs modern Tirhut

t A general /uneni ceremony «IF«r«f to (he epirite of aneeetert at the
junction of the Son and Moon nhen dookte obUtwss are offered ->thre« cakes
to the father paternal grand father and gieat grand Father three to the
maternal grand father and his father and grand father and the crumbs of
each set to the remote ancestors m each fine This ceremony is performed once

every year

i Religious iites performed on behalf of departed ancestors

i The reverence in which paternity IS held by the Hindus is great A
father la a divinity in corporeal vesture and his wishes must be uncondition
alJy obeyed Can I cerarure furnish many inscances of filial p eiy as d splayed
by the immortal Chan/i^a ? Hai) he withstood his father s behest jusi co

would cltatly had been on his side But he iroul|} none of it He laid down
his soveregnty and all Ihe pleasures and comforts of a regal state and led
a life of fourteen weary years m Ihe houseless woodi neighbouring with
lyolvcs and owls sod without any contortioo of his ever placid countenance
undergoing Necessity s sharp pinch Tbesenlence The s ghs of riresabolish
the aceumulated religious merit of stoin snccessive birth and those of dnhts
wtho It doubt destroy the religious merit of (ktee (consecutive) hiiths— is

95

M^RKANDHA Pl/fiANAAf

CHAPTER XIV

• “The son Tvent on 'Thus asked In our hearing bj tint
high souled one, the emtssatj' of Yama, though looking
terrific, yet ansvvered in a soft speech 0 mighty king, it is
all this as jou say there is no doubt about it But I just
remind you of the small amount of wrong that you are guilty
of You had a wife born in Vidltariha,*^ ntMci Pivar{\
Formerly your fancy ha\ing been fast fixed on the fair
Katkeyti you suffered this one’s menses when she was »i
them, to go fruiticsd , and you have reaped this hideous
hell for having allowed them to run to waste Even
fts on the occasion of a sacrifice, Fire expects the sacrificial
olTenngs, so while a female hath her menstrual flow, the Lord
of creatures expects the dropping of ihe seed That righteoust
person that, oscr-nding this injunction, lusts after another
woman, falls into hell incident to his sin on the score of
Ins debts to Ins ancestors — ^Thus far extends your tiaitsgrcss-
ion and no further Come then, O king, for enjoying (the
fruit of) your religious merit The king spoke f will go 0
envoy of a deity, whithersoever you take me Bat J sliall
ask you something and you should return to me a reply
mirroring the truth These adamant beaked liirds arc plucl ing
out the cy es of these persons , but they an. having their eyes
again anti again Tell me, of what reprobate acts Inve these
liten guilty ? And thest (crows) arc dcjiriving them of their
tongues Li^cr growing afresh And why arc these wfLlcIiis
licingscvcrccl with saws and why cast in oil, arc they

* K citinci and c (jr lo tbe Soaih wnt o' Itcngil (hr n cxJcrc ^ in
A \i/>ur or Vfar propel

t Thu li ftUa a tlw* «»ni« forayouBg womin Tf e worJ ii Jetivtd
tfom^/ I't—h^ce

*&mrifc ilskUouv

\lXRKANDr\A PURAN\M

97

being boiled in vessels of sands filled with meal mixed
with curds 2 And wherefore, lormciitcd in consequence
oF their bodily bands being snapfvd, are these, uttering
shrieks (of agony), being dragged by the iron mouthed
birds? And ntth tlieir bodies torn and cut by the violent
impact oF iron beaks uhat iniquities have they comtniUcd.
that they suffer thus night and day ? Do >ou tell me, by the
disastrous tendency of what wongi^ do these mpious people
undergo these and other tortures discovered (by me)? — There-
at ydwrn'j envoy replied — -As, O monarch, ) ou question me
concerning the cons-quences of sinful actions I shall unfold
this to you in brief People reap the fruit of their virtue and
Tice by turns and when (the fruit of) any fair or foul
deed hath been had, it is spent Without reaping the
consequences of ary good or bad action a person docs not
rn the least attain purification therefrom , and soon as an
act is reaped, it is exhausted Do you understand me as
expounding (the nature ot) virtue and vice Wretched
Sinners are visited with famine on famine pain on pain,
fear on fear, and death On deatli Creatures by virtue of
the bends of acts come by various conditions People having
a rcvcretvlinl cast of mind holding themsulvcs in calmness,
distributing wealth and of pious ways have festivity on festivity
heaven on heaven and happiness heaped on liappinesi»
But those stricken with sm arc consigned to placw liU <t
With bensts of pray, elephants serpent' raa >rj. and oilier
fears U'hat other fortune can be rcserv cd for the reprobate ?
And wearing fragrant wreaths clad vn goodly attire ami
ascending excellent cars, righteous oo5s feeding on ‘ovnury
viands and hymnvd by reason of (heir virtuous actions
repair J/j sacred groves acrompionjed nilh ptr.ans of praise
Jn this ivaj the riglitcous and unrighteous deeds of men
acctiniiihtcd thiough hundreds and him Ircds thousa i is and
tliQuvands of births serve as the rerms of ihcir happiness
and misery Fven as seeds expect llic shower virtue ami

‘d

98

mArkandcya purXnam

vice* expect season, place, and action as tlic cause. If a person
is guilty of slight sin incident to place and tirnc,hc;sufrers such
affliction as arises from (reading upon thorns. Grentcrsin
in a lihe manner leads to greater suffering as represented
by a tract set vitli darts and pins, ~and insuftcrablc head-
, diseases, etc. At the time of the sins coming each by its
fruit, they cxjKict the access of persons feeding on unhealthyt
fare, and suHcring coJd, heat, fatigue, burning, c/c. And mighty
misdeeds in this ivay bring on Jong-cndurmg distempers and
other evils, and conduce to sun’crancc from arms and fire and
bonds A small measure of religious merit without ado
confereth agreeable odours, («of0 touches, (sweety sounds,
(pleasant) flavours, or (bcaullfiil} forms: but greater ment
leads to higher enjoyments Thus do people stay here,
reaping happiness and misery from virtue and vice,
springing from many a birth The fruits of knowledge and
ignorance confined by caste and locality, remain in combin-
ation in the soul { In a case in which a person at any season
or place without doing any good or evil act by body, mind, or
word, gathereth happiness or misery, great or small, — (one or
the other of these) agitates his mind. Like a food eaten. Ins
merit or demerit fiiidetft exhaustion by being reaped In this
wise these men dwelling m the heart of hell are decreasing
their demerit by undergoing dreadful sufferings night and

• This, 11 I ttnd«rst»nd ariglit isaclose app'-oxin’ation to ihs irTsas of
Plato Virtue and vice are considered as ideal entities, remaining expectant
of season, place and action for being actualities

t This IS obscurely expressed The meaning is 'Persons reap their
acts by suffering variously,. — eating foul food We’ Tim difficulties of render-
ing this work are great, as pointed not by the accomplished and able Editor
of the Eitglishman, in noticing this version

J Though darkly put, pencils of light pierce through the surrounding
glooro nf this passage embodying a pregnant and profound Iruth^ It points
to the modern doctrine of mental latency, which sometimes plays an important
part in determining conduct of hniuaii beings which is apparently ivitfiout
any motive The meaning is Tendeociei acqaired tfirough the surroundings

of caste and locality abide in the soul, and entail conseiiuences ’

MXRkA\DE\ \ PUR*(\AM

99

day And according!}, O ling, in the celestial regions men in
company with the immobile eiijoy bhss, listening to the
strains raised by Gandkarbas, Stddkas, and Apsaras And
beings m the states respectively of celestials, human beings,
and beasts, reap good and evil springing from virtue and
vice, characterised (respectively) fay bliss or bale* O ling, £
shall noiv answer in fall tby question concerning ivhat
particular sufferings respond to ivhat particular unrighteous
acts of sinners "nie adamant beaked birds pluck out the eyes
ol those vilest of men that look at others' wives with vicked
eyes, as well as of those covetous people that look at others’
property with unrighteous thoughts, and their ejcs
grow again and again These will suffer from their eyes
for as many thousands of years as they had winks during the
commission of theip sms And for as many years as the
times during which (the sinners) committed the transgressions,
the dreadful adamant beaked birds pluck out the tongues
ever growing afresh of those that, effectually extinguish
mg the spiritual sight of enemies, insidiously instructed
people in scripture, that rendered dishonest counsel, and
interpreted the scriptures falsely, that uttered untruths,
or that reviled the Vedas'^ or the deities D njes or
their spiritual preceptors And behold, O ling those worst
of men that were instrumental to the separation of friends
(from each other), that of a father from his son, or that of
kinsmen (from onq anothen, the separation between a
pnest and a aacnficcr, that of a mother from her son or
that of associates (from each other) or that between a

* Th s pocnoD IS Teiy indefinite and lo tbe absence of any commentary
tbe translator has to depend solely on what b s independent ludgment can
effect

t The leTBience accorded to the t«rf« constitotmg the revelation of
the Hindus is uniformly unreserved and absolute Not to ment on others,
even heterodox writers ) ire haf la tbr aothor cl the atheistical ijJiiia dg
not ventuie to ciuestton the axtbocity «f (be | but boir down to theiQ in
deference to the prevaibns opiown

100

MARKANDC\A PURXnAM

husbaiiJ and a wife,— are being severed with saws And
those that afflict others, those that prove fleas m t^e ointment
of others’ comfort, those tliat deprive people of pilm-fans,'* **
air-apertures, sandal, or Ucira,\ or those scoundrels that bring
people to sufferance finishing life, — reap their wrongs by being
posted to Sand-vessels full of meal mixed witli curds Those
men that, invited by one party, feed on the Braddha performed
by another, wliether designed for deities or the ancestral
Manes, are pulled by these birds m opposite directions J They
that pierce the vitals of pious people with their tongues, are
tormented by these birds having it their own way Those that
by perversion of speech or mind are given over to wicked-
ness, have their tongues severed with sharpened razors
Those that, through pride of heart, disregard their fathers, or
mothers, or preceptors, with Iheir faces turned towards the
earth are plunged into pits covered with pus, urine and
exerei'i Those wiched wights that liave taken their meals ere
deitiesguests, servants or newcomers, ere ancestral Manes, or
the Fires, or birds, had done so,— like these men that )ou
behold, arc born as Suc/timuMias^ huge as hills, and retelling
in pus and dung Those tint unequnlly feed BrMimaitas or
persons sprung from any olliet order, silting m a vow, — ha>c
to feed on dung even as these Those that take their own
meals, leaving out persons poor and m search of nealth, who
have borne the others company for purposes of commerce, like

* Fans have naturally a bif'h value la so hot a climate Anglo Iniiiirs,
at an/ rale, will undoubtcdl/’, agree wi(b oar enecstora in prizins (hia article
o( [urrlture above many others, and approve their wisdom In placing
criminali guilty ol itvaiing iJegtwitg fans in the wme row »jih /cions

drpEinnji men ^1 life, and condemning them la ihe inexlinguiahatlc sufferings

in the Sand vessels

t The root oUffognnt glass— amirsipcgcw mitnotium aaortolgrasi
a small sort of Seftliarun

} 1 C who invited hy one party absent themselves from its riles and join

those ol another anl feed On the edibles prepared there tor the guests
f A specirs of birds

Rf.fRfv\NDrVl Pl7RXNA»f

/^c\ lor

these feed on phlegm And, 0 lord of men, they who, while
unclean from eating,'* touched cows, or or fire,

lia\e these hands of theirs consumed in this flaming pit Those
who, while >et unclean from eating, ha\e ^olu^ta^I^y beheld
the Sun, Moon, or stars, have their eyes cast into the fire by
the messengers of Yama , — andpunfied there Those men that
have with their feet touched kine, fire, their mothers, Vipras,
their elder brothers, (athers,or sisters, or noblew ives, preceptors,
or the aged, — have their feet gyved with irons heated in fire,
— and being held down m heaps of live coal, burn up to fheir
knees Those impious persons who have eaten papaya, 'f
kriyavaX goat's flesh, or any food dedicated to a deity, after
having desecrated it, brought down on the earth gazing with
rolling eyes, behold ' have their e)es drawn out with teeth
m the mouths of Yarta's retainers Those sinful wretches
who have heard their preceptors, deities, ^wi/ar, and Yedas
vjbfied, and who have rejoiced thereat, although crying,
have iron plated fire showering pins driven into their ears
again and again Those that influenced by wrath or cupidity
have broken and demolished propas^ and images, dwellings,
of Vtpras, shrines, and splendid halls, mnmenfanly shrieking,
have their tegument taken out of their frames by these ternfic
emissaries of Yama Those men that discharge urine or
excreta in the way of kine, Brahmanas, or the sun, have their
* A peiaon who having taken his n>«al has not yet washed his /ace and
hands IS unclean It he touches a peisoa who n purer chan himsel/ be polutes
him, it he touches one who IS lower than himself he polutes hicnielf All
food hovrercr, is not polluting — it is only cooked toed — specially cookej
rice— that is so The regulations connected with caste^ affected by food are
numerous and unique A person of a higher order must nut take cooked food
prepared by one of a lower order on peni of loiing his caste
f A preparaeion of rics borled in mOk with sugar

t (i) A d sh composed of milk sesamuu and rice (a) iice and pease
boiled together with ghee and spices , commonly called Ahichn

f A place where water is dlslr buted To this day il jj (he practice in
the dog day* to act apait place* where water issivcn to people with a handful
of soaked oats mixed with molasses

32

MARMNDUA PU«Xs\M

nlrails draun out bj crows through their anus He that,
iMtig once disposed of bis daughter to one, dlsposeth of
er to another, being thus chopped, is cist into a river of
Ikali Those tliat, influenced by wrath, renounce their
i^lplcss sons, servants, wives, or fncads, on the occurence of
I famine or atij other disaster, being thus cut up by Yaina's
efainers, have their own flesh raised to their mouths, — and
Ihey gorge it from hunger Those that cast away people
depending on service for their sustenance, or who have
sought shelter with them, — are thus tortured with engines by
the adherents of Vanta Those that barter anay their merits
acquired ill through life, — are pressed with stones even as
these wicked wights are Those that appropriate to them*
selves anj thing deposited as a trust, being bound all over,
are fed on night and day by worms, scorpions crows, and
owls Those sinful persons that know women by day or lie
with the wives of others, smart in pains (of various kinds],
grow enfeebled through hunger, and have Iheir tongues and
palates patched with thirst , and behold! now transfixed on
BalmaliY' furnished >«Ui iroa thorns such have their bodies
rent ind are bathed m streams of blood And, 0 foremost
of men, see these that outraged olbers' wives, being cast
into crucibles are undergoing tribulation at the hands
of the followers of Yama Those that putting down or
striking dumb their preceptors receive instructions or learn
any mechanical art from them, — ^in this way bearing stones
on their heads, and undergoing trouble in a situation subject
to watery inroads, grop' enfeebled through hunger, and have
their heads achf? m consequence of bearing the burdens
Those that discJiarge unne, phlegm, stool, c/f ,in v%atcr,t have
their portion in this hell filled with effluvia exhaled from
phlegm excreta and unne TTicsc who influenced by liunger,are

' The s Ik cotton tree

t Eren at the present diy Ik s practice is intcrd cte4 by society The
prohibition IS olcairfy based on saiutary grogeJg, as sORio olber customs ase

MXRkANDE\A FURXNAM

;o3

(now) feeduigon one another’s flesh,nevcrfornierJyentertained
one another >\ith the ntes of hospitalit) * Thosg that hive
cried down the VedaSy and those that, lighting a (sacrificial)
fire, have disregarded it,t arc again and again thronn doun
from the mountam'peaks Those «ho have dragged hfe as
husbands of* twicc-niarned ivomcn, — being emaciated, arc
reduced to ^^orms, and (in this shape) are fed on by ants
Those that have accepted ^fts from fallen people, J that have
officiated as priests in behalf of such, or that ha\ e served
such, — become worms in the entrails of rochs Those that
eat sweetmeats in the sight of servants, friends and guests,—
have to take live coals doun their throats O king, there
having fed on the flesh of others’ hacks, have themselves their
backs ceaselessly fed on by terrific uohes Those ettecrable
persons that have proved ingrate, (continually) roam about
afflicted with hunger, and bereft of sight, hearing and
utterance And this ungrateful uight— this frightfully wicked
one— doing wrongs unto his friends, has drope into a
heated vessel, and will have to undergo a process of
pressure, then he will undergo torture from engines in
the Sand vessels containing meal mixed with curds,— and
then he will be severed with saws in the Jf'oed o)
Sword blades, and then he wll be hewn in Kalasutra
Thus undergoing divers suffenngs, he will be freed from

* 'A guc5l IS composed of the essepcea of all the To rerni’i

gveits prop«i1^ and entertxin them liberally waj incumbent on every house
hnlifer He Irorts lehoee Ihe gioeet Cvrned away was remarried wrCli the

same aversion that was felt in Saaon England for a person niJeriHg It
ts a matter for great regret that modern Ind atio longer feels (he same regard
for guests— nay the current run* so a contrary direct on — guests are
consideccd as an encumbrance and impertiacnee and acforrled a corres
pondent welcome /ItlAi— allhovgb generally rendered gursl— may also mean

\ Fire, as representing the deity restding in it is held sacred

t <c people who have incurred general obloquy for some aet, such as

eating food eooWed by a person of an inferior caste entering IntoalJijnce
with a woman of a lower order or of a disreputable character etc

MXHKANnrVA PUR, (NAM.

loj

fiis miseries f do not know Iiow. Those m’c^ed Vtpf ‘^^1
having leaped over one another, had fed on edibles •prepared
in a — and therefore they now drink the foam that

is streaming adown their persons. And that stealer of gold,
and that slayer of a Vtpra, and that drinker of strong drinks, t
and that violator of his preceptor’s wife — for many thousands
of years arc being burnt all about by a fire flaming above and
below.J Then these are again born as men marked whl'
lepra, ulcers, and other diseases ; and dying, ag.nffi And heU >
and arc again born m the same manner ; and, 0 lord of men,
they will suffer from dtslcmpers till the end of a K<itp^ §
that hath slain a cow, hath hcH continuously for three
successive births , and this also is the fate of all others that are
guilty of minor crimes Now do you hearken to me unfolding
the respective births creatures lapsing from hell
agreeably to appointments relative to their transgressions

* Of alt nctats, geld had exceptioaal saneuty attached to >(,
religious oecaiions on which ihi* metal wa« required were many

f Drinking, unlike these d.vys o> limitiesa latitude miscalled liberal
mindedness, was considered as one of the fiee cardinal crimes, and fh*

social penalties attached to it were cacommuaication, e/c — Wme bibinff was

therefore almost entirely conSoeii to the most degraded orders, such as
Chani^laa With what horror would an ancient Hitidu, if lie rose from his

ashes, regard the culpable toleradoa which has been stretched towards this

vice acid which seetna to be countenanced by the practice of men of light and
leading I

r Perhaps in no other country tut the face of the globe is ttneJiasM/
regarded with greater Idathing and abhorrence than in India Chastity ir
considered by the Hindus as tbe crown of womanfy virtues

{ The ial/iti is a day and ntght of Bmieta a period of 4^20,000 00a solar

sydereal years Or years of mortab meesurisg the duration of the world, nnd

as many, the interval of its annihiUtion,

niRk\Nnr\A ruRiNAM

^05

CHAPTER XV

Yama’s retainer continaed "If a twice born one receuei
gifts* from a fallen person, ke becomes an ass . and if one
se^^ es a fallen indi\ ideal in tke capacity of a priest, one, after
being liberated from hell, becomes an earthworm If a
Djrija pUjs his preceptor false, or Justs after the latter's
spouse, or covets any of his preceptor's possessions, he, for
certain, becomes a dog If a person disregards his parents, he
becomes an ass, and if he is aroth iiith his father and
mother, he is born as a female parrot If a person insults his
brother's wife, he comes by the birth of a pigeon , and if he
oppresses her, he comes by the birth of a tortoise He that
eating the funeral cake of his lord, does not seek his welfare,
IS overcome with stupor, and d>ing is (finally) born as a
monkey He that robs one of one's trust,after being freed from
liell, IS born as an earthworm and he that is given to
calureiu), on being delivered from bell is bora as a Xaisiara
tie that breaks faith, is bom into the race of Hsh He
that steals padd), barley, sesame seeds, mcisia, Au/a/iMa,f
mustard, <3^\s,kalaya % kalama,\ mudgtt jj wheat, o/an'*! or any
other sp-cics of grain ? — ^bcing deprived of his senses is born
as a long faced rat resemblinga mungoose He that outrages
* It has always been a point of honor w Ih BTthm»n»t never to acrepC
anything by way of gilt Iram a perron that is very low sn the scale efr
A Brihmana who does so reaps odiora ,

t A kind of puhe~-ilrJ»f4oj »»

i The name ol var ous lr|’ii<n)OODs seeds ch elly ot the orde{ of phaseoUs

4 Rice wh oh is sairn in Jf ay aoJ Juaeaad npeos in December or January,
a white rice grow ng in deep water

I A sort of kidney bean PAaste/tts mange
^ The Bengal rflii-r a hind ol Bast — Creletarta /Mecca
$ Grim of every sort is sacred as tjp cat of Laiihmi

MiRKANDHA PUrXNAM

106

another’s wjfc, is born bj turns as a terrible nolf, a dog, a
jackal, a vaka, a vulture, a serpent, and a heron He of
perverse sense that lieth with bis brother's spouse, becomes
a male kokiia after having been fr^ed from hell The
lascivious man of sin that violates the wife of a friend, or of
a,prcccptor, or of a king, is born as a swine He that disturbs
sacrifices gifts, or a bridal, becomes an earthworm He that
giveth away his daughter for the second time,* is generated
an earthworm He that lakes bis mealt without (first)
offering it to the deities, the ancestral maues, and the Vtpra%,
— on being delivered from hell is born as a crow He that
dishonorsjiis elder brother like unto his father himself, J on
being discharged from hell, is generated a krauncha ^ A
8\tdra on knowing a Drahmam (( is generated as an earth
worm , and if he begets offspring on her, he becomes a worm

* Uii difficult to sa; whtthrr tbe author rrfrrs to (he re marnaj'e of
a widoiv or that of 0 woman who b<*r» marnrd to another

[| may no( b« coot d«(«<t out of place to remark here that the Hindu
idea q{ chastity is crysialised in out institution of marriage With the Hindu
the nuptial ceremony 1* a sacred eoxnant eodutiog (or time and Sot eteinity
A rroman wedded lo n man la consecrated— set aipart-^o h m and to him only

and this tie <s proof againit death itreff The iiitard etion of re-marr a^e

in the case o( women tests on this sent men* To complete the perfect on of
Hindu nuptials the relations ol men oofht to hate been regarded in the
same light and the re mor» age of men forb ddeo Had Ih • been done the

world woold have presented a perfect paUetn of the maiital insttution
barmoRiring with the most advanced ideas of hainao progress

t Before » S'dAwif m M:es his tmal he npr water and fekee a few grains
of lice into his mouth by way of dedicating the food to the deities After (insh
mg h s inc-d he repeats Ihe sipprng leaving oat the other item washes his
•hards and face at a place set aput lot the purpose, and (hen puiihes his
mouth hy chewing bits of tbe belel Out

{ The trau idtat of a younger brother i»iof»i»hrd by Fi/wiir in Ihe
person of £ofi4ma«(r who forepoiog the pleasures of the palace parsed
fourteen years— the very heyday of biS bfe— in the forest intent on rniniltering
to Rioiachandta The adage has il— An elder hrothcc is like a father
i A kind of heron— Arrfra jorniotor
3 A female of the ^rihnoflo order

mXrkandeya purXnam 107

mhabitrng the inside of wood, a hog, an earthworm, a madgu^
and a CJtand^la. An uogratefu! wight — worst of men — on
being freed from hell, becomes (by turns) an earthworm, a
worm, an insect, a^entipede, a fish, a cow, a tortoise, and a
Piikkasa By slaying a person unarmed, one becomes an
ass ; and one that slayeth a woman or a boy, becomes an earth-
worm By pilfering fare, a person springs as a fly There is
something particular about food, which do you hear about
By stealing rice, a man on being loosed from hell is born as
a cat. He that steals rice mixed with sesame and pinyakaf^
becomes a rat. By stealing clarified butter, one becomes a
mongoose , by stealing goat’s flesh, a madgu or a crow A
person that filches fish or meat, becomes a crow,— that filches
deer's flesh, becomes a hawk He that steals salt, becomes a
watcr-crow, and that steals curds, an earthworm. By steal-
ing milk, one becomes a crane t that steals oil becomes
a cockroach. Stealing hooey, ^ a man becomes a gad-fly.

* An •goatee bica— «
t Th« of foi oit

t Mffic and all pnparaiiaa* «f it tte eenudertd sacred Thtfiitneit
gap^ai—five ef fofi tfrung /ran tins— are milk, curdj, clarified

butter, etc The aeiy dung «f kioe is aicred,— -and la used for purposes
cl puriSntion In villages, hausewives o( mornings rub t>« floors ef their
mud homrslcadi with a piece cf cloth steeped In water mixed wirh cow-
dung Among other thiags, a person that bat done anything which degrades
him IIS the eyes of his castepeople, has to eit a htlle of this sancti-

lying substance Hindus, after ranuring dishes which contain Iheir
meaU, tub the spot with a siriatl e|iantlt)r of row dung After » corpse
has been reinored to the burnieg fhal on ihe Canges the members of (be
family concerned epeinkle Ihe path of the^ead t*fnon with water miied
with CO* dung - •

\ Honey also is a fasrnrrte food of Ihe deities The e^ifliupjeJe — eon
faining honey e/r, Irrquenily figures in Hindu leligicns riles By (he way,
thia trtlcle enjoys (fte 'lirgest amonnio't patronage Iron ITindu physicians
Atfflosi alt ntedicinel mast he rakea along with a q lanltfy el honey mixed srirh
«hem Aeeording «o Ihe tlmda raflowera af rseutapia,, honey nsoderafet alt
lb- three humours— Air Ode and PM»g(ii, on which the (Blue suprrttiuitaie
cf Hindu Medical Science is reaied

roS

piXrkandcya purXn \i\r

and stealing flowers, an ant* By stealing ntskpava^ one is
born a house lirard By stealing wine, one tecomes a
tittiriX A Sinful person stealing’ iron becomes a crow On
stealing bell-metal, one becomes a wood pigeon , and on steal-
ing a silver vessel, a pigeon STtealinga golden pot, one is bom
an ea^lhv^o^Dl By stealing a silben cloth, one becomes a
partridge On stealing a satin cloth, one is born as a
chrysalis The sinful wight tliat purloins gold embroidered
satin, a fine cloth made of goats’ hair, or linen, is boro
as a male parrot By stealing a cotton cloth, one becomes
a krauiicha, and stealing bark, a heron By stealing a paint,
or sS:kapat>'a,t^ one becomes % peacock The person that
bteaU a red raiment becomes a pheasant By purloining a
perfume, one has birth as a mole , and by purloining an attire,
a hare By pilfering fruits one becomes a bull, and pilfering
wood, a wood-worm One stealing flo\ver comes by poverty,
and one stealing a vehicle, becomes inert A stealer of potherbs
becomes a wood pigeon,— and a stealer of water becomes a
ebataka || A stealer of land,going to Rcuraia and other dread-

* if the of any nat on more than those of another delight lO

flowers It IS the deities wilhout doobt, of the Hindus A Kindir worship with
out flowers u to use a racy Hiodu phrase like a song leaving nut A'anu
{tCnshna'i or a sacrifice iv tbout the lord thereof— t'tsiriK ft does good
to one s heart t<r see 3 after having balhed lo the Ganges and

clad in a silken cloth— going from tree to tree cull ng flowers fresh with
taorniog dew and breathing a mild aioma mstiDct with pur ty and del ght
t A sort of pulse Phaieoltf* radialus
J FrayKolt>u farnigt

f A tree commonly called snftHi—tljparantfiiTa vttrunga the legiimei
blossoms and leaves are esculent and tVe coot of the young tree is used as
ibst tute for horse rad sh Medmnaliy the root is used asa rubelaoent
externally as a sUimrlest >aternally ami the expressed oil of the seeds is
employed to relieve aithritic puns

y A kind of cuckoo— Cucu/nsMefanefctirBs The tiacTlfon in connection
ffilh the tialoia is lhat Ib^ birlbea of its cries is— C//<Jr welfr —and that it
not only drinks rain water bat refuse* to dnnh any other although in pers it

ing in Its preference it may have to give up being Through llu tradition
this bird IS much mentioned in classicat poetry

MARkANDEVA PURAnAM

109

fu} hells, and becoming successively grass, shrubs, creepers,
plants, and trees clad in bark, attains humanity on his sms
growing feebler and less , and then he becomes an earthw orm,
an insect, a grasshopper, an aquatic fowl, a deer, a cow, and
a hated ChancCala, or a Pttkkasa , and he (then) is born as
a cripple, as a blind person, as one deaf, as a leper, as ond
afflicted with phthisis And he is tned by diseases of the
mouth, diseases of the eyes diseases of the arms , and he has
epilepsy, and is (ultimately) bom into the Sudra race To
these states also are successively reduced those that have
stolen kine or gold , as well as those that purloin learning or
lands held rent free by their preceptors The fool that
consigneth one's wife unto another, after undergoing (various)
torments, comes by the birth of a bu!) The person that
maketh offenngs to the fire while the fire doth not blaze
full} , afflicted with a declining appetite, cometb by d) spepsia
Calumny, ingratitude, wrecking another’s religion, cruelty,
impudence, adultery, robbing another of his own, filthiness,
reviling the divine, dishonesty, deceiving people, niggardliness,
manslaughter, and other iiiUrJicted acts, and a cunstant
bent towards them, betoken that the {subject of them) hath
but been recently let oat from hell (On the other hand),
kindness for all creatures, the bnnging of glad tidings,
ministering unto people of the other sphere, truthfulness,
speech designed for the welfare of creatures, presenting the
evidences of the Vejti,* worship of preceptor®, deities, saints,
and StJdharthtt t communion with the piOU§ practice of good
works, friendliness, and other good acts and obsenanccs
prescribed in connection with high morality, — all Ihesi^ _
discovered in 1 person, are interpreted by learned, people a<v
signifying that the righteous Tgent hath been ca«t out from
heaven Thus O king, agrecaWy lo your desire 1 Inve

* Tb s would ird cat* iHat like apostles ol Serpi cism tiid mad* an
Impress on on iKe m sd ftf Ibe puWic

} fiiTiAa uifits 1 r samli Uclevtins tc tbe cU» o(

M;5rK-SNDEVA PURXNAM

1 to

spalctjt! unto you eveiytfimg about men reaping then'
(respective) deserts — of the Virtuous and of the vtcious also
Therefore, come We shall now go to another quarter Now
you have seen everything And you have seen hell There-
fore come We shall go elsewhere ’ "

The son said — "And thereat placing him ahead, the
king prepared to proceed Then all the men suffering
torments cried out,— -O king, grant your fa%or unto us Do
you stay for a while The breeze that bloneth touchmgyour
person enlivens our hearts, and chases the heat of our bodies
as well as our sufferings Therefore, 0 master of the world,
have mercy on us —Heating these words of theirs, the king
asked the emissary of Varna Why do these rejoice in my
stay ? And tell me, what great and pious act done by me on
earth raincth such rapture (on these)? Varna's envoy
replied ‘Your body hath been nourished by the food that
remained after the ancestral guests, and servants liarf

fed, inasmuch as )our mind dwelt (perpeluall)) on them
And for this it IS that the air breathing from your person
revives these sinners,— and that their torments relax— And
ns you celebrated the horse sacrifice and other rites agreeably
to scripture, so these instruments of Varna, engines and
weapons and fires and crons— the causes of tormenis and
wounds and burning and other mighty sufferings, bi\c
relaxed their vigor, having been routed by jocr energy —
The king said Not in Itraven, not in the very regions of
Brahma himself* one Atlnincth that felicity one doth on
relieving distress Even this is my conviction K the
-►•orments of these abate on account of mj neighbourhood
then, O fiy here will I remain mov elrvs like an

• To iVe of • toptrlw to rr' r""'*

commoB pjiUntr lurti go unitr tfi* r»in« cf f'mV W A <t ^
frfJi 01 Itie leavings ol kw prrerpUr Slotli ibtciI >Iio atucb<« la rat
thr ftatSi I ttl dill 1*4 it lh« «i t>1«« Mk <k tiarr H**n drd ral*<! |o |V<in

t Lil /tif ntoltfj Pfrhapall talhc aanw c( tkt rnTcr e( fama

mXr}»am>e\a purXnam

inanimate object The emissary of Yama said Come,
O monarcii LeaMng alone the tortures of these sinners,
do jou enjoy the happiness earned by jour pious acts The
Uing spoke So long go I not so long as these are
aggriei ed The denizens of hell experience ease from mj
stay Verily accursed is the life of him that doth not extend
his kindness tou'ards distress seeking refuge, although in
the form of a foe The sacrifice, gifts,austeritics of him do not
bring frmt either in this life or the next whose heart is not
set on relieving wretchedness Him deem I not as a roan,
who, hard of heart, doth not feel kindly drawn towards
infants, and old men os well as those undergoing miserj, —
verily such an one IS a Even if staying in their

Ticinity I haie to bear infernal afflictions arising from the
heat of fire, piercing effluvia, hunger and thirst, and miseries
depriiingone of ones senses,— -I shall consider roy relieving
these as higher than the happiness of heaven* If many
distressed find relief on my being m mi.ser) , what do I not
attain? Therefore do you go away directly The envoy of
Yama said Here are Righteousness and Sakra come to take
you away —so you must go from hence Therefore, 0 king,
come Righteousness said ^o« I shall convey to heaven
1 have been properly worshipped b> you Ascend this car
Do not delay Come The monarch observed 0 Righteous
ness, people by thousands are undergoing torments here in
hell And afflicted sorely, they cry out unto me — Save (os>
Therefore I will not hence /m/ru said These sinners Inve
found hell conserjuent on tbcir acts And O king you mviit go
to the celestial regions m v irtue of your pious deeds The king
answered If 1 must take thee for Righteousness and llice
SacM's lord do ye tell meabout the measure my merit

• Thot« that ox IlifliJuim with • acISih mjral tr V gitt unj Itkr ichrme
e! corJjel hail betiei €»«lt upon »«h paiiieo icattcred op and down
SiniVf.t I tffialure The Hindu* eo»W cootelte inch « ibinf *» luhlima
gharmi—^istnfefrUeJ injnil 'y *Balla «r*> I i'fme ts ilt ran rewjrJ

MXRK\NDnVA PURAWM

l^2

Tins it bcfio\etli jou to let me knou Thereupon Righteous-
ness spoke Like drops of water m the ocean, like stars in the
sk^,l;ke shouers pour»ng^tJoi»n,Lk.esafj£l/'shoaJs on the Gunga,
and, O mighty king, like countless (liquid) particles in water,
■—jour religious merits are incapable of being enumerated
And this compassion that > on have for the sufferers in hell,
hath magnified your ments a hundred and a thousand fold
Therefore, 0 foremost of monarchs, do jou repair to the
regions of the immortals for enjoying them , and let these
expnte their iniquities in hell The king replied Wherefore
shall these men thirst for my contact if my neighbourhood do
not serve to ennoble them ? If I may have done something
meritorious, then, 0 lord of celestials, let these sinners under-
going torments be reieaseef from beff /fio'rffsaid From
this, 0 master of earth, you have attained a higher beaien
still And heboid these sinners released from hel!

The son went on ^Then there showered down blossoms
upon the king — and raising him to the car, Hun* took him
to the celestial regions And I and others dwelling there,
freed from our sufferings, came by other births m consonance
with our acts Thus 0 best of have 1 delineated to
you all the hells, and I have also spoken to you as to what
hells are reaped through wfhat acts, agreeably to what I liad
seen before The account that I have delivered, as founded
on former eTperience, contams (he truth What shall I, O
eminentlj righteous dhe, next relate to jou '

M/(RK\NDC\A PURj<N\M

'J t

lot anymore have to be rehted lo matter’ The father
aid ‘My child, do you hereafter expound to which

onfers emancipation, by means of vvluch 1 shill not reap
=ucli misery on being agim born in conjunction with raiterial
substances Do you now explain lo me tint by which,
LiHrelated in itself, aty soul aUacIictI to mutter, may
not be fastened hy worldly bonds Do joii sprinkle the cool
waters of your speech concerning the knovvledge of Brahma
on my body and mind oppressed and faint consequent on the
heat showered down by this Sun of a world Do you, pouring
the nectar ol your words, revive me, who have been stung by
the black adder of Ignorance, and who, sore afflicted by the
venom, seem to be dead again Me troubled by the chains of
attachment forged by sons, and ivife, and house, and field,
do you deliver by opening the door of universal love and
knowledge ' The son^aid ' List, 0 sire, to a narration of
what the eage DalfMreya, duly questioned, had of yoie
delivered in detail to Alatka about yagii " The father said
' Whose son was DaiHtreya ? And why did be expatiate on
And who was the righteous Alarka, who asked (the
sage) about yoga}' The son ansviered “Formerly in
PratishtliMia* was a Brakmana belonging to|theraceo{
Kuftla Consequent on sin committed m another existtnce,
Jie was afflicted with leprosy t His wife nursed her sick
husband as if he had been a deity , rubbing his legs with 0 )l,
kneading Ins limbs, bathing liim, clothing him, feeding him,
washing off the discharges of phlegm, iinne, faices, and
blood, — serving him in solitude and soathing him with sweet
^flcech Albeit thus cealelessly served by that one in humble

* The mcU-ipoIis oi the earirsoTcreifas of the Lunir Line, opposite to
Allshubad

+ Some diseases lepra among the number are rocogniserf as having
sprung III consequence o‘ some be nons sin or olkereommilted ,n another
slate of being —as some dcalbs, death from snakebite l^jhlninj rtc, are
set down to a Brihmana s curse The Sin atlacb ng to this class ol diseases is
rxpultd by particuUt itl gious riles such as CJaurf/iyoiKi

MARkVNDE\A PURASiM

II5

guise, the cruel {iJra/iw/anff), vho nas extremely irascible,
(always) Rebuked (his wife) For all that, his wife, humiliat
ing herself, deemed bun as a dnjoity ,* and looked upon that
horribly disgusting one as the prince of men (It came
to pass that) once on a time that foremost of Daijas, although
personal!) incapable of ino\ing about, spoke to his wife,—
Take me to the abode of that same courtezan seen bj me,
having ber house beside the higlnva) Do thou take me to
her, O thou who knowest r^hteousness, for she reigneth in my
heart I saw the damsel at sunnse, and now it is night , but
ever since I cast my eyes on tier, she moveth not from my
mmd If that daint) limbed damsel, that one of a faultless
form, having a bust and plump bips do not embrace me, thou
shalt see me dead Kama is (primnnl)) hostile to people ,
(neat]i she is sued by numbers , (further), I am incapable
of moving,— the prospect appears to me dreary/ Hearing
the words of her husband tortured with lust, the wife (of the
Brahmani), sprung from a noble family, eminently virtuous
and devoted to her husband,bracing herself with a determined
resohe,— provided herself plentifully with mone>, and taking
her husband on her shoulders, set out at a sloiv pace It was
night Under a sky coxered with clouds, the wife of the Duija,
desirous of compassing her husbands pleasure, proceeded
along the highway discovered by the play of lightning And
It so happened that on the nay m the dark thatZJitya sprung
from the Kupia race, mounted on the shoulders of his wife,
pushed Shtniiavya, writhing in agony in consequence of
having been suspected (by some one) for a thief, although lie

* The Hindu i^fa cS chastity u essentially nlfious. A Hindg ffsnale
in mainlaioin^ the sanctity «l her peisoa although great!/ lofiaroceJ by
temporal coos derations is in an isEnilcly greater degree inHuenced by
considerations connected with id g on and the eletoal interests of ber soul

The checic imposed by society must be partial and made<^uate but that imposed
by religion is thoroogh radical and Ur-icaebing’ rwaj og o«» only the outward
act but also th« inner feefloE tnipnise

nC

MXRKyVNDEVA PURXnAM

^\as really none, «and pierced (by Jn'm) vitJi a rlart On ac-
count of having been pushed «ith the feet (of the Bj-ahmana),
addressed him, sajiogi— '‘The impious v'jretch that
hath pushed me with his feet, -when I had been suffering
sorely, coming by extreme straits, shall, without doubt, breathe
his last as soon as the Sun hath risen (to-morrow),— soon as
he hath seen the light of the Sun, he shall give up the ghost
Hearing this terrific curse, his wife struck wilb sorrow (anon)
said : ‘The Sun shall not rise’.* And the Sun not rising,
there was continual night for many days together And then
the gods were terrified (And they thought) . ‘How can this
entire universe deprived of Vaidtka recitations, and the utter-
ance of '>}ashai,\ and sradha be effectually prevented

* At t>ia tisk oi being censtired as ratber irteleTant, I cannot help making
a remark or (wo in eonneelioa with the so caUed mittference with the Laws
of bfature In my humble opinion, the present sccertific conception ol Law
if Ibaroucbly ereoneoa* The unilomltiee of nature are Joshed upon as the
snaherable processes of the universe, which were, are, end will bo for all
time to come Out so fat as the future is coocerned, there is absolBteV no
certitude of a law holding, and one has no nghr to make the assettion that
It Will bold in the future It has hten to la the past,— but that it shall it so—
who can say ? If I were to advance the apparently absurd proposition that the
next moment the Sun would stand stiU as it is reported to hare done in Ajalon,
who could gatnssy me ? It j* iw/ertie/wf lobrpog forward av argument that
the Sun has never stood still What if it has never done i How to leap over
the gap dividing the past and present Iron the future ? The expectation of
uniformity has been forged the phenomena of natvee having been repeat-
edly witnessed by individuals and the race collectively century after centary.—
so that It hasat last cottie to be on instinct The tremendous force that
this belief exercises in oar judgments measures the strength of the
adhesive power that it has tome to acgoire in course of human experience
—atcied by heredity and other causes But notwithstanding its force, it has
absolutely no foundation, altbougb by an Iritellectual absurdity which

cannot he helped, the assumption of this ■mformity is the major premiss of
every induction Tram this it would appear (hat the inteiference with any
natural law cannot at once be proownseed as There may weJI be

occasions when the Ordainer of thiags in Hts infinite wisdom may suspend the
uniform course of phenomena, which in reality is a higher tullilmeDt of the law

t These are exclamations scconpanyug oblations into the Fire,

^JiCRkVNDC\A PURXs\’i!

”7

from drifting into utter wreck? Without the division of da> and
night, the .(division of) months and seasons must cease , and
on this being obliterated, the Summer and the Winter solstice
cannot be knonn And ttithout a knowledge of the
solstices, where is the time measured by a>ear? And
without the knowledge of the year, any other knowledge of
time is impossible At the \iord of the wife deioled to her
lord, the Sun doth not nse , and without the uprising of the
sun, Such acts as ablutions, gifts, etc, cannot have a place*
And there is no lighting of the (sacnficial) fire, and an
absence of sacrifices is perceptible And without sacrificial
oblations we cannot find gratification Being gratified bj
men with our share of sacrifices, wc tav or them by causing
rain m order that corn may grow On herbs having been
obtained, men worship as by tncaos of sacrifices , and we, in
turn, being worshipped with sacrifices, grant them their
wishes We shower down, and men showerup,— we (pour
down) water and men (pour up) clarificdf butter For the
destruction of those wicked, impious and evil men that do
not petform the daily ntos in our behalf, but, actuated by
greed, devour the sacrificial portion themselves,-— ne viliate
water, the Sim, fire, air, and earth , and then (vanous) morbid
actions display themselves augunng death (to those sinners)
But we confer delightful regions on those high souJed ones
that gratify us (first) and them feed themselves But nothing
of all this is visible now How can creation be preserved ,
and hoivalso can day (again) diun (on edrth) ? Thus did
the celestials hold parley with each other Hearing the

U tVie iponie of Pir« prniJ nCOTCf batntofcrincs SvaMi li • pertoilfka
tlan ol tlifi, or tt>e woiEitlr (llosice, tfi« nlf-eotUEiictt'iMocbte cf tlie

• All IlinJj »it«i iVr fo'dc et ibe Sx» ohxd ip tl

lojtue Ihe eirth •«<! *11 1>« It WiU «1

t Sot ttil mr" •«*»'!/ ikro* »? «l*nJe<l tal'rr ilcywirit — feat Ihit

lUr tanrr Umj tbra*" FlW tT *tt»i cn, it oriMtl ap \j

(Firr) wto l, ite ** *1 tie «!ci .rt

MARKVNDEW PORXnW

ii8

conference of the divinities afnnd at the cessition of sacrifices
the god, Prajapatt,* said 'Energy sobers do^wi energy,
and asceticism, asceticism Therefore, ye gods, listen to my
words The maker of day doth not rise on account of the
potency of the chaste one , and m consequence of his not
rising, mortals and yon fare sadly If you desire the rising
of the Sun, you must propitiate Ain's wife, the chaste
Anusuya, leaving a life of asceticism

The son went on ‘ On being propitmled by them, she
said Tell what ye would have Thereat the deities solicited
(her), saying — May there be day as formerly! Atiusuja
replied The power of a chaste woman never declines
Therefore, honoring this virtuous lady, O celestials, I shall
create Day , so that there may be day and night,— and also
that the husband of that n^teous fair may not meet v ith
destruction ' '

The son went on “Having thus spoken to the celestials,
she sought the abode of that excellent one, and enquired after
the moral welfare of herself and her husband Atiusuja
said Rejoicest thou on seeing the face of thy lord ? Dost
thou regard thy husband more than all the deities combined ?
It is by tending my husband that I have obtained mighty
fruit and m consequence of my having attained every desir™,
nil jfiipediinents have given way O virtuous damsel, a
person should pay the five kinds of debts, + accumulate riches
agreeablyto the morality of his order, and bestow (hciieallli
that he hath laiJup upon fit recipients in accordance with
the ordinance One should always practise truth, smccrif),
.asccticisni, and kindness , and banishing envy and malice to
the best of h^s power with regardful care daily perform the rites

^ lYtre a n*me rtrrsaAoaeonimonepii'rtetoi'rtte-rtir u'viire
sagti orj-inally crealcU by JJraAni—itariM Ain PuUilja

Puhka hrafu Prachrlal \asithlKa Bkr gu

t Tbtre are three k nds o( debt generatly recognireil via that te the
d«l er (hat <0 the 3>£ct and (hat (otbe aocesiral maaea

120

M.^RkANDC\V PURAnWI

and solicit the favor of thy so ordering that cliy nnd night
may be stedfasfly established as usual And it •is for this
reason that I ha\e CQme to thee Do thou hearken to me
For want of day there is an absence of all sacrificial rites ,
and, 0 ascetic, for the \\ant of these, the gods can derive no
hourishment From the abolition of day ariseth the abolition
of all rites And from draught following this, the universe
will find annihilation If thou wish to deliver the universe
from this disaster, be thou propitious, and let the Sun rise
as before' The fir'dAmaMf replied ‘That lord of mine— my
husband — ^had been cursed by the exalted Mandavya, sajing,
—On the Sun rising thou shall breathe thy last ' Anushdya
said 'If thou wish it, O gentle lady, then at thine ^^ords, I
shall cause thy husband to regain lus former person, and
assume a fresh form O transcendently beautiful one, I every
way venerate the might of chaste women, and therefore honor
thcc

The son continued “Thereupon on (the Br&hmani)
having said— ‘So be it,’— the ascetic AnttsMyi, lifting up the
arghya,* began to invoke the Sun It was then night for ten
nights continuously Then the adorable k'lvflfadBjt resembling
a blown lotus and having a broid djslf,rose on the Ascerding-
hill } In the meanwhile, her husband bereft of his life, dropt
to the ground, — and as he fell, he was caught up by her
Anush&yo, observed O mild one, thou needest not indulge in
grief At once behold my ascetic might, issuing from my
servires to my husband If m beauty, character, intelligence,
speech, sweetness, and other merits I have not looked on any
ether as like my lord, if I do not look even on a divinity as

* An offering cf various logtedrenls such as pvddy lufa flowers elc
1o a gad or Brikmana A Brihmana oa arrival used to t>c welcomed with an
arslya

t A designation of th* Sun

t The Sun rises on the Rising bill in the Last and sets on the Setting
hill in the \\ LSt

mXpK \NDn\ A FURAN IM

fZl

al lo mj liusbind, bj that truth let the Vtjrra, rid o( ocry
idj, regain his life If I bare c»er adored rn} husband by
J, thouglit, and word !ct this Dvija revive ' ’

The son continued ‘ Thereat the Vipra sat up^ freed from
distemper, and hmng regnmed his jouth, flaming up
chamber with his native brightn^s, like a celestial
nown to decrepitude And then there showered blossoms
m heaven), and the celestial instruments struck up And
deities were filled with rejoicings, — and addressed
ushnya, sajing, — '0 auspicious one, say what boon thou
fldst have Thou hast done a signal service to the
mortals , and, O ascetic, the deities are readj lo bestow a
in on thee ’ yIaMf/ii<_>5 said 'If the deities headed b} the
lat father are pleased with me,— and if thc} are ready to
nt me a boon, and further, if 1, hav mg acted m consonance
h jour wishes, be deemed worthy of a boon, then may
nkmci, Vishnu, and Mahepcara be born as my sons , and
y I along with iry husband attain in order to cman
ation from the troubles (of existence) • Thereat CraAtna,
tknu, Siva and the other deities said to her, Su bo it' And
ring honored that female ascetic, they wcat to their
pcctive cjaartcrs '

CHAPTER XVn

' Tf ICV after a long lapse of time Drahma s second son—
reverend A/ri— happened to cast fits eyes onhiswih,
usiuox bnthed after her monlMj flow endowed vvith
ictlul Jjmb« and luving a form cipnbK of raising the
siri. of pcoplt And niltd With piS'ion the a»cctic knew
: blaiiutcss f taut} in his fane) \ndrjpt in eoatcniphtion
lO

122

mXrk\npi:va ruRXNvsr

of her, he discharged 1ns vital fluid,*— and Lit e histy 'Wind

• It IS inttr*«lirg to raise the qiiestian— How {ir morality ga'u
tlie present atiangemenl in whUh cortaln Ihinj;*, itigmMiietl 'obscene,’ have
been exclaflcd from Oie ilomaiaof Iitctalnie,— anJ nhether krowiciige tioes
not sustain such loss as is nol eempetaatod by the moral gain P Tins is far
(lotn being a simple etaestion adiailling q( a short and simple answer Tt
IS liaidly tlic place here to enter into it at any length Dut I arail my sell of
this opportunity to pul in a word or two indicating my porseml views on Ihrs

important subject First, let me temaik that Ii/eMr-jr Pnrilittiin’t can never
be an ally ol piogreta and culture, as was yirovecl beyond question or cavil
during a memorable epoch in the History ol England, when even the edulgent
Sun oE Shahnpcre'a Remus suffered a disastrons eclipse Who can readily
lay his finger upon the bne which divides the doimin of Art from that
ot Morals? And how sHall Science fare if she is curtailed of her present
prerogaliva ol crtoring into all manner of scenes? And, i[ Sttereebe
espeaded a privilege which IS withheld (roni Arc, what, we aslc, is the value
oitveh a raatnetior, seeing that seientiSe works are as sneh puhlieition as
literary woiksT All must admit that some things rannel tear Me dry, ond
woe unto these that try to teat the eeiHiKiing these trom the common Rise,
not would aither Knovrlcdge or Art gam substantially lE society sufEeiesl
people to do so Bat Ibis mueli being withheld, Liieraturo must be given
free scope to cxpaciaic freely over the spacious field which is hers by natural
hicthcight,— and any endeavours to resUain her movements here must be
resented by all right thinking persons Hero 1 quote a preeiouc passage from
ajuJgiiieiil of Mr Justice V/uulmeyci of New South Wales delivered on ll»e
Knownlton pamphlet ol Mrs Annie OesanI The iialiea are mne 'A
clearer perception of truth and the salety of trusting to it teaches that in law,
as in religion it ii useless trying to liftiit thu hnowtcdgu of mankind by ony
iijqaisitanal altcmpls to place upon a judicial Index Etpurgatonous works
initten with an eafK«r f>urfese, mid amiamdtnf t/iemsf!ves to thmhrse/
veil balanced minds I will be no party to any such attempt I do net believe
that it was ever meant that the Obscene Publication Act should apply to cases
of this Kind, hut only lo llie publicalton of such matter ss all goal Mitt nical I
regard ns Itnd and filthy folevd and ittxdy smell, fiiciuTts and txhibiitotis,

evidently published and given for lucres sale '

The Sansl<Tit‘wiitPrs are wonderfully free spoken , they unbcritatingly say
their say— ‘eitcnuating nougHt nor sett og down aught in maUcs ' The
etain is not on them and they do not revel m obscenity lor msid ously
winning over people to their disreputable tanks On the contrary, their
expressions inevitably bear the gcnaiiie stamp iht stamp of ttulh and nmpU
city which are incapable of being approached by ntaUet prepense —so that they
never savour g£ dirt and filth, bat aie wislesemt a s Ncttire is It is the

MXRKXSDnA PURi(KiM

123

arrieJ it l;p^^ards and anty And on bctiig scatlfrccl around
the vjta! surchai^cd with Brabwa energy, and having
a color, coveted llie len canli lal quarfcrs in the shape
of the Sloon And that sapport of the existence of all
creatures — the hfoon — sprang m her as the l\fitid begotten
son of that lord of creatures — Alrt And well pleased, the
high sonled Vtxhnn sprang from his own body as that
foremost of Dunjas^DaiMreya — fraught with the principle
of Goodness And incarnating himself, Vishnu was born
as tlie second son of AIti, famed under the Dame of
Datialrey/ty who drank from the paps of Amchuya Waxing
wroth, he came out from Uic womb of Ins mother m a week.
And seeing the arrogant lord of of perverse ways/
guilty of an offence, he was wriuighl up with wrath, and being
already angered on account of the vexation and trouble of
dwelling in the womb, he set his heart on speedily burning
vt^JIathaya And then sprang impregnated with

the principle of Darknos— a portion of Btidra Tims did
VfahDiit, /fo* and Vishnu become tiie three sons of Ain
And by virtue of the boon bestowed hy Uw cclustials, Brahm&
became the Moon, and Vtthnu, DatMreya, and Sanlare
sprang as DurvuM And that lord of creatures*— the Moon
—fostering with his coni beams plants, herbs, and men,
alwajs dwells in the clbereai regions And Dallalreya, who
must he known ns a portion of VisksUt ruleth creatures,
chastising wicked Daityas, and favonng honest people And
of fierce looks, thoughts and wo'ds, the reverend unsprung
iJ;/»‘2<ira, assuming 3 body fraught Tnib the virtue of Rutirn,
began to consume jwsons that offered any insults ^ud

jaund mJ cjC which secs cretjiltnes as yellow The purest of

jiOLls diJ not sht nh from enicita n«g suck tJeas u at* tmbodjed in

When the keep t»We door

Esposed a Walton to accod Wrt* raft
Bol maiW the <1 go-' ** th loias tl toogl tiesr liars of /V/mfue Lnl '

• Lit i rJ i nintctti btta

wXrkandex V rVRXHMl

t24

having birth in the Airt race, Prajapnit became the Aloon t
find Hari as Datlatreya began to enjoy the wosldj being
engaged in , while renouncing his father and
his mother, assunved the excellent vow entitled
and ranged the earth And Dattaireya, engaged m yogdr
came to be (constantly) surrounded by the sons of ascetics
But wishing to be alone, that master for a long while
remained sunk irr a lake, and yet those boys remaining on
the banks ol the watery expanse, did not renounce that high-
SDuIed one of an exceedingly handsome appearance And
when, although an hundred divine years had gone by, the sons
of the ascetics did not leave the shores of that lake, the ascetic
rose up from the waters, taking a lovely female clad m
excellent attire, and sustaining shapely and plump buttocks,
thinking It in his heart,— The sons of the ascetics may lca\c
mo alone on account of the company of this woman Then I
shall be left alone ’ But when the sons of the ascetics did not
give him up even then, he began to drink wine together
tuth the wench But they did not eten then leave tint
one engaged m drinking with his wife And although he was
stained m consequence of carnal indulgence md singing and
the music of instruments and ihc company of a woman, — and
although he sinned on having drunk wine, jet they regarded
him as one endowed with a high son! Nor did that foremost
of 1 commit anj fault, although he drank f'ar/iKi ,t like
.air in the habitation of an /I k/u asajiX And drinking wire,
lliat one versed in jaga accompanied bj his wife began to
practise penances , and tint lord of \\ as worlhj oJ being
cw tcmplitcd bj i’cyis desirous of deliverance ’

• MaJ

t A pm cuhr inrt of «IMr>IaDii« t qu6r prrpait I (,otn 1 ogwooJ £roun 1
n 1} tl ; )u 00 cf li c ilulc cr pilm sail (Ion <l tt Ik<I

1 Af/unM/a

mXrK\MDCY.V rORAVAM

>25

CHAPTER XVin.

SOMEn'fE after Kritathyya ha5 ascended ficaven, (he
citizens together nith the councHors and priests, called
Krila\{ryya,’s%aVi-^Arjjuaa, — for the purpose of {n\estfng
him uith the rights of soAOreJgnty, — when he said : "I \%ill not
etcrcise sovereign power, >e counselors, nhich leads to hclJ
If that for which (a king) taketh revenue be unaccomplished,
then it answers no purpose- By making over a twelfth part
of the outturn to the king, traders can travel along roads
prelected by Ihe police from robbers. And cowherds give a
sixth part of the clarified butler, whey, etc, that they obtain,
and liusbandmcn give {a sixth part of the produce). If they
give nnjthirg in cvccss of the share of articles justiy due
to the King, and if the king accept it from the tradesincn,
then, foregoing hjs /rd/n as well as peiiri'/ii acts, he Is guilty
of theft.* (On the other hand}, if the people having paid their
tax arc protected by others, then the king hav ing received
a sixth part of the produce as revenue, certainly goes to hell
Protecting the people hath beer* fixed as the duty of a king

• From {It, I it Appem that our eommenia} moralur ihm Jlucd my
high “Into what pil itiDH se«t, from what h««shl fallen' comes tpontine
ocaty to onc’i lip»on going through (hi* pa«as’= rU TurJi ,»«

Theeanililion of llimlu traOr and rornmnn^ „ (leptijrabln, thny hann;; writ
ntfili been dirorcct frorn moialiiy The relaiionj exuiing betnetn the boyc r
and the seller aro re;;alatc,f by ComKkraliont of Ibe self inicrrst cJ the
parlies respectitely.— i s the •ellet ttic* to sell hi* wares as dear as be
possibly can, anJ the buyer to boy «» cheap «s he posiihjy cin,
eammanlj speak, nj piymj any tery gteal heel to Ihs claims
c! l-JSlifC, ftness etc— ^hose fine a»ry frames can (f| stanJ the rough
contact wHh grot* ai'iele*** *«■** Whew ahalJ ihe SBOcnl ilay* tf hoiwsly
anJ*imph«Ujaj; = ’n‘t-*w'> ana psee the waj loHlie real ytegrttscl

tberuticnl !„ thi-.e n.,.bty Jay- real M.bUa««l wo.fc l-ai .null cbjnec tl
juece.s *nJ cne «hj uliUltUMWll abouMtHnJ lull a |ti aJt«it', wv.'l

I6.S, o.b.Jjt ai»“i»<e

126

MlrkWDCYA PUr ^N\M

by former (sages), if the kmg fail to do this, he become
guflty ol theft Therefore if practising austentj^s I ca
obtain the state of a yogi that I crave, then shall 1 becotn
the sole sovereign of the Earth capable of governing (tli
subjects) bearing arms, ojmmandmg (yniversal) homage, an
furnished with supreme good fortune But stain my soul (b
acting otherwise) I will not '

The son went on Hearing his decision, one seated i
the midst of the councilors a person endowed with gren
intelligence, advanced m years, and holding the foremos
place as an ascetic, Garga by name, sajd ‘ If, 0 king's sor
fur governing well your kingdom you desire to do all this
then listen to my speech and act agreeably to it Do ^ou, C
king worship tfie eminenffy righteous him tfiv

governeth the triune sphere, immersed m yega possessed o
pre eminent piety, regarding all things with an equal eje,—
who, for the purpose of delivering the universe hath incarnated
himself on the earth beneath as a portion of , ador

mg whom the thousand ejed (dcit>) obtained his positior
robbed by the wicked Dotlyas, and desiro>cd tlie sons ol
Diti (in battle) , and who hath taken refuge m a care ol
Sahya * Arjjuna said How did the deities adore the
powerful ? And how did Vcisava get (back) his

rank of Indra, which had been robbed by the /?ai/^<7r? ’
Garga thereat said "Tlierc took place a mighty encounter
between the deities and the Danazas The Datt^as were
headed bj JaviS/tti and the cclcilials by lord As

thej faugh t on, one dmne year rolled awiy Then the deities
were worsted and the Vattyas were Mctorious And defeated
l*j the Dumtas headed by Vtprathuitt the gods, broLcn-
spiritcd about corqiiering their foes, fled from the fieltl ,
and desirous of routing the Dailya hosts came up before
IVr/mi/:/>(j//, and began to consult together in company with
those saints — the Bihhhtlyas Vrihazhpalt observed- — ‘It

A mountun

MirK\Nnr\ v pur<s\M

ye expect llii. dcfcil of 3 oar foe? Hie di.itk*' rcjoinul
‘Sinless tlioii nrt, O lord of the aiitvcrsc nor can ^ny slam

'lUncli unlo thee, O Ihouhnmgthy mind wished pate ^Mth

llic waters of Icanimg irradiated with the light of knowledge
Dattatreya spoke ‘True it is je celestials regarding all
things with in even eye 1 Imc knonlcclgc Diit in consc
qucnce of Iming issociilcd with this woman I have sustained

pollulioa He that bent on enjiyinent *■ know etli a woman
cometh by n grievous fault Thus addressed the deities again
represented O best of Diijas like the rays of the Sun
falling equally on a Doija and a Chatidala this mother ol
the universe 0 best of Dwijas cannot undergo impurity fm
association with any) Garga spoke Thus accosted
iiall&tre^a Kughmg, addressed the celcstnls saying— If this
be your intent then ye foremost of celestials challenge all
the Asurtts to fight and bring them mibm range of my
vision Do not delay On encountering my gaze they with
their strength and v igor enfeebled (lirougli tlie fire generated
by my glances, shall meet with utter extermination Caygn
said Hearing Ins irords the celestials challenged the mighty
DaityasKQ encounter— and in wrath they rushed against the
celestials And sore beset by the progeny of the Daityax
the deities overwhelmed with fright swiftly retreated in a
body to the asylum of Dattatreya nnd sought Jus shelter
And destroying the celestials Uiu Dmtyai also entered
into the place and saw the high soulcd nnd powerful Daltz
treya as well as his wife seated at Ins left — the desire
(of the universe) and th^ welfare of all the world endowed
vrth all loveliness, — even Lakshmx of face fair os the Jloon,
w th eyes graceful as leaves of the blue lotus — sustain ng n
siVopei'y ircfsit itrrJ Alps — speii’nqf nitfd'uAauirs mjrA-— awu'

* A d si net on n mpl ed tenov ng n voman for get! ng ofFsp

and knosv ng list fur plcisuiE maely Tb a » aa Uvwlrat on of wbot 1 bavc
al eady sid aslo the wholehMcltdiiess W’ reference to ih ngs

reckoned obscene

m/Crkandcya purXnam

129

adorned with all the ^ irtnes ot the fair sex Seeing her before
them, the<|Z?ai/yiM were wrought up with desire and, sore
afflicted, they could not contain their rising emotion And
leaving alone the celestiak, they became eager to carry anay
the lady, and thus sustained a diminution of energy And
overcome with stupifaction consequent on that sin, (hey,
actuated by desire, said ‘If this jewel of a damsel, the
quintessence of these three regions, become ours, then we
shall attain the consummation of existence Even this is what
we think Therefore, ye oppressors of celestials, lifting her
up on a litter, shall %\ e, for certain, carry her to our abode ”
Garga said “Thus did they converse with each other from
fullness of the emotion that was working within them And
sore tormented by Smara,* the combined Datiyas and
Dfinavas, lifting up the chaste lady and placing her in a litter,
took it on their heads and bied towards their home Thereat
Dait&ir$)a, laughing in scorn, spoke unto the deities,— Do ye
prosper by your auspicious luck’ Lakshmi, having forsaken
the seven other localities (m their persons) hath now moved
to their heads (Soon) iviJl she seek for a fresh habitation’
The gods answered 'O lord of (he universe, (ell (us) residing
in what particular localities what fruits doth {Lakshmi)
yield or bring to nought' Dattatreya spoke Residing in
the feet of men, bestoweth abode , residing about

the thighs, she bnngeth apparel as well as various kinds of
wealth If {Lakshmi) remains in the anus she bestoweth
bride , and if she remains m the lap offspring Remaining
about the heart ot men she accomplisheth their intents
If the excellent Lakshtat resides in the throat of one of
auspicious fortune, she granterb aa ornament lor the
throat, as well as union withbeIo>ed relatives and wives living

* One o( (he man} name* ot the Hindi/ Cup d derived from (he roo(
smn-~la rtmemter ani thus ntmtag to the amoreus emot 00 being fanned
and (ed iy/ancy

130

mArkandeya purAnam

in a distant land If the Ocean sprung (goddess)*' reside in
one’s mouth, she bestoweth sweet speech, grace, undisputed
masterdom, and the poetical faculty But when she getteth
up to a pei^on’s head, she kareth him and repaireth else-
where And having resorted to their heads, she will forsake
them shortly Do ye, therefore, taking up your weapons, slay
the enemies of the celestials Do not fear ^ By me have
these been greatly enfeebled , and, farther, in consequence of
their outraging others’ wives, they, with their religious merit
consumed, have sustained a deterioration of energy ’ There-
upon the enemies of the celestials were slam with various
weapons Having resorted to Ibcir heads, thus, we heard,
did she destroy (the Asuras) Then Lakshim, springing up,
came to the mighty ascetic, Daltaireya , and she was hymned
by all the assembled hosts of celestials rejoicing in the
prospect of slaying the And bov.ing down to the

intelligent Daithfreya, they returned to heaven with their
anxiety allayed In the same way, if you, 0 great king, would
agreeably to jour wish obtain 'nches finelcss.'t do you
without delay worship even him^”

CHAPTER XIX

Tnn son went on “Hearing these words of the saint,
JStr//a;i'ryy<7— lord of men— went to the licrrmtagc of
Dalialre^a* ind was engaged in worshipping him with
reverence Tficrcit pfcaicd (with Aurffaiiry}a} kneading
hiv kgi, procuring him boncj, etc, fclchin}’ flowers, 'andaj
* £aI>A">rs]icarig (lom (he Ocean CD tbcQccaiioa «{ 111 chutele^

132

mXrkandeva puhXnam

with the music of instruments — vtnas,* and pipes, and conchs,t
etc, I dispense happiness in the shape of sons and \M\es
and wealth, — and remove disgrace and violent death There
lore, ask for the boon you would have Good betide you 1 On
account of your having celebrated my bidden attribute, I am
read/ to bfestow a boon on you ' KdrtCaviryya replied ‘If,
O god, thou art pleased (with me), then do thou grant me
the excellent good fortune by which I may rule my subjects,
nor sustain anj sin (incident hereto) , [ would have skill in
pursuing an enemy , invmcibleness in encounter , a thousand
arms endued with lightness, the capability of coursing alone
mountain and sky, earth and xvater and all the nether
regions , and death at the hands of one superior to me And
may I bring people from wrong courses about to right ones ,
have worthy recipients of my inexhaustible riches , may
any that may remember me, enjoy immunity from loss, and
may 1 ever entertain genuine reference for thee >' Dattatreya
said ‘You shall be everything that you have mentioned , and,
furthe r, by my grace >oti shall be sole sovran (of the Earth) *'*

* A stringed instrument hatisgtnro gourds a'Uebed ID its frame The
modern SiHra is denred from the f'lno which is considered by musicians
as supCTiOf <0 the other 8e*atmeH is reprefcnCed as hoidiag^ this iftctni
Rieflt with her hands

f- St II univmally in vogot in Hindu rites and ceremoDies. Hardly a

ceiemony >s performed in which the conch does not ii|:ure lluring the

cvemnn service in temples the blares of coochs chatEcd with rel gious suRges
tions combined with the warm aroma of Mupas and other kinds of incense
realize as nothing else <^n the idea of what is known as the odour of sanctity
The snlemn sounds cf hundreds of shells heard at a distance from the terrace
of an ed Rce at the shadowy aB^iospieing hour of dewy eve , strongly put one
In rnind of some of the most beautifal lines in modern poetry i
' Area Maria f blessed be the hour I
The time the cl me the place where t so oft
Ifare felt that moment fa its fuffest power
&isb o cr the earth s* beautifut and soft
While swung the deep bell lu the distant lower,

Or the faint dying day hymo stole aloft
And not a breath crept throegh the rosy air
Aodyct the forest leaves seemdsUrrdwith prayer

MiRKANDEVA MJBiNAM

>33

^ara went on “Tlien bowing down to Daitatrsya,
Arjuna, scmmoning his subjects, went through the ceremony
of spnnkling* And provided with the necessary articles
by the grace ol Datiaire/a, there came the Gandharvas and
the foreJiiost Apsaras, and the saints led by Vasishcha, and
the Mountains— J/er-K and the rest-^nd the Ganga and other
Streams, and the water charged Oceans, and the holy Tig and
other Trees, and the deiUes—Vasavaf and others,— and the
Afcyui traded by f^nmAiJ^and TViriiAysJ andotherbirds and
the inhabitants of cities and provinces— for the ceremony of
coronation And the deities — Brahma and others— began to
converse with one another Then for destroying anrighteons*
ness and maintaining righteousness, he was spnnhed by
Narhyana in the form ol Dattaireya, along with the Seas
and the Rwers, and the saints And waxing wondrous strong,
and obtaining supreme good fortune at the hands of
Dait&ireya, the Haikaya,^ being established in his kingdom,
proclaimed this “From this day forth, save me, any one that
shall wear arms, shall be slam by me for a bandit or
marauder" On this cnandaie having been passed m that
kingdom there was no one bearing weapons, save that
powerful one endowed with exceeding prowess And he was
the protector ol the country, the protector of beasts the
protector of fields, the protector ol the Dvitjat, the protector
of ascetics, and the protector of traders And soon as he
was remembered, that slayer of hostile heroes alone used to
deliver people sunk in ibe sea of fears proceeding from
robbers, ferocious beasts, fire, arms, (te, as well m the waters
of other dangers And during Uie reign of that king there

. I„ «„ws»lion 1 « sfftHtiM iTMfl «««Mtt>.aodl,ta«Us

ttremonf l» ciliea aikUMa

t InJri

i Ca’ttrB

, ThU dM5c8jnB»otAira«frjr»UowtBj:uj,„i,)^^^^

cl Ike

>34

M^RKANOnVA PURANAM

IS T perfect freedom of eYer>thing from being Jest And
In, cclebrnted manj i sicnficc iviUi excellent
•ind he performed austerities and fought fields And witness
lAg the prosperity of that intclfigent (momrch) the ascetic
said —'Surely no prince shall rnal Kartlaiiry^a in
sacrifice munificence asceticism or martial prowess The
same diy that master of men obtained good fortune from
Dathxtreya did he perform a sacrifice in behalf of the latter ,
and the same day the subjects also of that sovereign beholding
ins eminent prosperity, celebrated a sacrifice with intent minds
Such was the might of the intelligent /Jaffd/rpyc — the lord
of mobile and immobile, the high souled infinite Vtsftiiu
In the Puranas is related the origin of Him ol the bow,
Sarnga * infinite and immeasurable holding the conch discus
and mice The man that coaiemplales the highest lorm oS
this One, becomes happy and is speedily delivered from this
world Behold! I am ever accessible to the Vatshnaias
through devotion ’—wherefore do not, people take refuge m
Him that hath spoken these words? For uprooting unnght
eousness and fostering piety the god that is without beginning
and without destruction brings about maintenance and
conservation I shall now communicate to you what
Duttatrvya had spoken about yog<t to that r6j a) sage the
high souled Alarka, devoted to his father

* Heoc« Vnknu is called SirngaJkara hotJer of the bom Sirnga Tlie
name o( ti s conch is Panehajonya wh cb used to sti ke terror and conFus on
into the hearts of the Auptt hosts m the war of the The incideats

connected w th this conch ate related la vartoas Purtnos

M)<RKANDn\A PORXNAM

>35

CHAPTER XX

In days of yore there >\as a king named Satrujit,* possess-
ed of exceeding prowess, in whose sacrifice Ptiranciarai was
gratified on obtaining Soma He had a scOj capable of
cleaving foes and endowed with great energy In intelligence,
a Igor and grace he resembled (respectively) the Preceptor t

Sukra^ and /lf.oi |j And the kings son was constantly
surrounded by other princes who mailed him m years scn^c,
strength, vigor and energy Sometimes he would spend his time
III arriving at conclusions m knowledge, sometimes he would
discourse poetry, music and the drama Sometimes he would
seek the pleasures of gambling sometiines spend !us hour in
cultivating knowledge, practising with weapons and behaving
modestly (with people) sometimes he used to wrestle with
competent antagonists and manage horses, elephants and
cars In this way did that son of the king pass Ins days
pleasantly with the other sons of kings And as they thus
used to sjwrt there, night and day there began to eagerly
flock sons of kings, and of the same age,

breathing spirits for the purpose of sport After a lapse of
Umc two youths, sons of /Ifuarare-- came (roni
the regions of the A'ci^aj** to the earth And thty wtn.

• oi »ad /»/ —

t I-'dra

t ( rikatil’Oli *

{ A CrIcU (h4 ret n 041 of llie ^tarai

I One «f the l" «l {oinj Mdti tfc • appcttnign clftbralrd for Iheli
bintjiortie preiCBce

*■ »4 ,«!

$ ■^cTTii d T ne irTpefllt Ail ttieertiiM «t txlri heo-ia and etira Kim)),
b«inCi cl lK» II '”5* ikescsny wei*cof*«»»d •titKropomofpMcal!]'

•• Tbe Btlbrr ret on lhic«th «b efc f tfce f iKeeg-jcttf

pafict ifct l«'f« ifidlfcecelcti al J'Wjio,/

M^RKANDn^A PURX*t\M

135

disguised as BrahmanaSt — and were tender and lovely
And there they happily began to dwell along with ihe other
twice born ones, engaged lA various dispdrts And all of
them — the sons of kings, and P'/faxaswell asthe

sons of the Naga king — together bathed, kneaded each other's
limbs, dressed, smeared their persons with unguents, and fed
And feeling delighted at the thought of their haMng obtained
the good graces of the kings son, the sons of the Naga gladly
came there from day to day And the king’s son took
extreme pleasure m their various entertaining acts, as well
as in their laugh and converse Without them he did not eat,
or bathe, or drink wme, or indulge m pleasure, or receive
instructions in weapons for adding to his accomplishments
And spending the night m the nether regions in heaving
sighs, they sought his society day by day And it came to
pass that after a long time had gone by, the father asked his
sons, saying,— ‘Why, ye sons, do ye find so great pleasure
in the earth? For many a day, 0 ye gracious ones, 1 have
not seen you in the nether sphere , and it is only at night
that I find you (here) ’

yara went on ' Thus accosted by their sire the eminently
exalted sons of the Snake king bowiifg down with joined
hands replied 0 sire there js an illustrious son of
named Riladhtoaja He is handsome, sincere, heroic, possced
of a sense of honor, end fair spoken And he doth not speak
unless asked, and is deft in speech — and he is learned and
endowed with all the virtues befitting a friend — the abode of
perfections And he honoreth those that deserve honor, and
IS intelligent, bashful and adorned with modesty Captivated
by his attentions and kindness onr hearts, O father, find no
pleasure m the regions of the Nagas or the world of Bhuva
On account of his separation the cool right of the nether
regions contributes to our heat, and by virtue of his company
the day heated by the Sun conduces to our comfort 'The father
said Blessed is the son of that sire whose praises are sung m

138

M>5RKANf>E%A PURXnaM

resolve and that persevere, can attain divinity, tlie lordship of
the celestials themselves, or a state as glonous,T-or any
other desire (that may be entertained} In heaven or on
earth there is dotbing that may not be known, come at, or
attained by men addressing lliemselves heart and soul, to the
acquisition of the same An ant, walking, leaveth behind an
hundred yoyanas, while Vatuateya htmself, if he docs not
mo\e, doth effect one step of motion To one that is inactive,
there is nothing that is practicable or ortbenvisc Where
IS Earth, and where IS the place called DhraMva, which was
obtained by Dhruva,* son unto king Udanapada, while
living on the Earth ? ITierefore, my sons, do ye say ns to how
tliat exalted one — the king’s son— can be served, — thereby
j e may ba freed from your debt ’ The sens thereat answered
*0 sire, that high sealed one of excellent w ays recountP.d
unto us what had befallen in the years of his early jouth
Formerly once on a time, 0 sire, an eminent endowed
with intelligence, Galma by name, came to Satrupt%
leading an excellent horse And he addressed the monarch,
8 - 1 ) ing,— Coming to my hennilagc, 0 king, a certain sinfut
and accursed iJdil'ya is spreading deaastation round And
assuming the form of a Jion, an elephant, or any one
of the lesser denizens of ihe forest, he night and day
without any cause so createth disturbances unto me as f am
engaged m contemplation and thcobscrtance of the tow of
tacjturnitj, that my thoughts become restless You arc

* One of the (oremost names M the sdnU Hindu devetiDO Dhura
VTM ihe «on of the hms; l/lllftfuit Tte »ent cf »iT»clion shown by hu
fathep l(il him nhile s sit p1 nz lo devpte himself tody nnd lout to the seitira
of //am who e: Ivl heston^ on himsopccRic fcicly Inniliti'ig 1 !m /nail/
lo Ihe ric on called sfler h n> nheiehe preskies fw ever and s day The
devo igr, ol this prince «( koy cotkasusU ate lo ih s day a greit irspiiinx
influence swaying (he I rarts of coodllcss people in Ihe interest cf the food
and Ika braulital go ng under ike deslxnatlon el (rl Klon JUs vraitiple Is a
ircaa i« untold Id our oidsl llw spirtlg*) wnpori ct ss))<:}}jt » eel t»r lo

mXrkandeya purXnam

^39

capable of instantly consuming him up with the flames of } our
anger, iitit He, O J^ing, do not «ish to expend our dearly
earned asceticism (m the way of getting quit of the demon)
One day as harassed by the Asura, [ in dejection of spirits
Has sighing at sight of him, there suddenly dropt from
heaven this horse, and bodiless words came out, uhich do
jou hear, O lord of men, — TTiis best of horses that hath been
consigned to )our care, without experiencing fatigue, is
competent to go round the Earth m company with the Sun
And Ins course is unimpeded in the nether regions, sky, or
water j and ranging evrywhere, his career is not obstructed
by even mountains And as he without fatigue goetb round
the orb of the Earth, he has won m the world the appellation
of Kuvala^a 0 foremost of Dutjas, mounted on this
(steed), the eon of the king, named Sairujtl, Hi/atiwaja, will
slay that worst of Danavat who is harassing you, and obtain-
ing this jewel of a horse, he will acquire great renown —>1
have come to you (now) As a king is entitled to a share
(of the asceticism of anchorets), do you.O monarcli, put down
that disturber of my ascetic rites? (dedicate this gem of a
horse to jou Do jou so order >our son that righteousness
may not be abolished ’ At his words, the nghteous-souled
king, after performing all auspicious rites and ceremonies,
made his son mount that best of steeds, and sent him along
with Galava And the ascetic, taking him, went to his
hermitage ”

140

MAkKANUEYA ^'UKA^AM

CHAPTER XXI

"Ye sons, Jo ye relate what the son of the king diJ after
he had gone along with Gnlava,'^lQt your narration is
curious “

Tlie sons continued “Remaining in the romantic asylum
of Gdlava, the king's son put down all the diturtances that
were troubling the Intoxicated by pride, that

execrable Dkna\a did not know that the steed Kuvalaya

was (at that time) staying m the asylum of GAlava, and
therefore, for uorrying that Vtpra, GAlava, engaged in
performing and ivorship, he came there, assuming

the shape of a boar Tliereat on the disciples of the ascetic
setting up shrieks, the king’s son, hastily mounting his steed
md taking up his bow and arroirs, pursued the boar And
drawing his powerful bow beautifully variegated, he hit (the
boar) with a shaft having the splendour of the crescent Moon
Struck w ith the shaft, the beast, intent on saving himself,
began to go round and round the mighty forest crowned w ith
hills and avoods And spurred on by the prince carrying
Out the command of his sire, the steed furnished with the
speed of thought, amain mide after (the boar) And endued
vutb fleetncss, he rushed over thousands of yoynnas, and (at
last) dropt into a close cavern And immediately that horse-
man — the son of the *king— dropt into that huge cavern covered
w ith profound darkness There the pnnee could not discover
the beast , and he then searched the nether regions which lay
revealed to vifw, but even there he did not find (the boar)
And now be beheld a ci^y sugai^p »e.b ,iwk“J5 .Ivl^

wnto the metropolis Itself of Pwranrfai'a, —and adorned with

* SunrfAj-J means twil jbt Here it mean* the let form of worship
P*»o,mi:d by ^ariAmana daring nch twH ghl At present ft £ri*ma«a
t9 iwl<xfm SindAyl At t&e two iwifighti and at ali^j

^(XRKA^D£VA PURXvaM

Mt

aualt Entenng into it, he did not see a soul in it And
ranging round, he (at last) espied a female haiing an
appearance of hurry about her He asked her, sajirg—
‘From ivhom haie }ou been sent hither? And nhose iiife
are you?’ But vilhout returning any reply, the damsel
ascended the top of the ediBcc And thereupon, fastening
his steed at a spot aside, the king's son, with his eyes
expanded with wonder, fearlessly followed the fair one And
then he saw a damsel seated by herself on a spacious couch
made entirely of gold, like Raft* surcharged with amorous
desire, with a countenancerescmblmg the Moon displaying
its unclouded splendour , with graceful eye brows and a well
dc\elopcd bust and buttocks, upper and nether lips resembl-
ing slender framed , with eyes like blue lotoses ,

hating rosy and prominent nails and a dark blue complexion,
—endued with mellow movements, wnth ruddy soles and
ptlms, thighs resembling the young of elephants graceful
teeth, and ensp and quielj curls Beholding that paragon,
like a creeper on the pcr«on of the prince took

her to be the disiriity presiding over the subterranean
regions And seeing him having a head of dark curled hair,
abroad chest, and shoulders, and long arms that beautiful
girl thought him to be t/tf(/artf|j bunseJf And stricken with
pining the exalted one hastily stood up, at once wrought up
v\ith basiifulncss wonder, and sadnes*: \\ ho is he? Is il a
Yaisha, or a deity, or a Gandhar^a, or an Uraga ora
Vulj' idhara,--OT some human being ol eminent religious merit
that hath come here r Tlius indulging in %ano«' llougtis,
llvat one vTilh her eyes betoVenmg* the influence of Ii<}uof,
<At down on llio froumt and off wont inlo a trance And the
prince on hii pvrt <n5>t with the shatls of comforlod

• TkeVrimeoI Ike II

J TV » n>»f Iku iVr t»J/ •»d*» Ml « *»i »la* cl Bs9»c«*ru.

t 6l (k« oua; Mine* ol «b< Itmai

143

uXekamdeya purXnam

the fair, saving — 'Yoa need not fear’ And o'lenvhelmed
Avitli grief, (he woman wlio had been first seen byothc Ingh
soulcd (prince) taking a palin*(aa, fell to fanning (the lady
under swoon) And when after having been soothed, she
was asked as to the occasion of her trance, the girl, albeit
betraying a little bashfiilness, emhosomed herself of every
thing unto her friend , and agreeably to what the damsel had
narrated she in detail related everything to the Jong's son
about the cause of the lady s trance incident to her sight of
him The woman spoke O master, there is a Gandkarva
m (he celestial regions known under the name of Vt^avasu
This one of fair eye brows is his daughter, Uadtxlasa by
name There is a fierce foe nving Danava, son unto
VajrakeiVi named Pa-hdaietu * living m the interior of the
nether regions As the girl was alone in the gardens
without even the company of myself, she was carried off
by this VYicked one, spreading his darJcening illusion , and
on the ensuing Trayodaft t the Asura will take this one to be
his wife But he doth not deserve the hand of this beautiful
damsel, eten as a Sudra is unfit to hear the recited
Yesterday when the girl was about to lay violent hands on
herself SurabhiX addressed her, saying,— ‘This vile DanS'/a
shall not hive thee But, O c\aUcd one, he that shall with
his shafts slay him when he hath gone to the region of men,
will m no long time be thy husband' I am her associate
known under the designation of the cle\er lam

the daughter of Vind^avan, and wife unto the heroic PushkarO’
tnaltn On my husband having been slam by Sumbha, 1
leading a life of piety, go from one holy spot to another,
prepared for.cntering the life to come The wicked -Paiala-
iclii,X assuming the form of a boar, hath been pierced with a

• Lit the banner of ibe miher regioni
t The thitleenlh day of tbcdaik or the 1 ght (otlnighl
t The dimne Melher of Icme
f kU , she having oar rm^t

J44

MARK.ANDrY\ PUR^N^M

suddenly dropt into a cave, — and my horse also did so (after
him) And then as mounted on my charger I, ranging round,
came into the open air, 1 cast my eyes at you lady And when
on my asking you, you made no answer, I entered this lordly
pile in your wake I tell you this truly I am no deity, or a
Danava, or a pannag/t, or a Gandharva, or a Kinnara, 0
you of luminous smiles O you adorned with pendants, all
the divinities claim my devotion I am a human being
Therefore you need not entertain any apprehension

The sons vent on "Then the damsel, exceedingly
delighted, began to look at the blooming countenance of his
companion, showing a face crest fallen from shame, but did
not say anything And her compmion, rejoiced, again
spoke to that one 0 thou that followest the instructions of
5«ra5Af, he hath spoken the truth And, 0 hero, what you
have unhesitatingly smd is true and casts off suspicion , for
seeing any other, her heart nould not find that rest (that she
actually hath found in you) Grace tindeth the hfoon,
Splendour the Sun, Wealth one blessed, Forbearance one
forbearing— and forgivness the culmination of nobility And,
Without doubt, jou it IS thtt hare wounded that uorst of
D&navas For why should roeth^T of Mntrwth?

Therefore blessed and fortunate is this one on haMog met
with jou Now, 0 hero, do you heedfully agreeably to
ordinance do that which should be done ' *

The sons said am dependent on another,’ said the
prince ‘How can I without mj father’s consent wed this
girl? Thereat she replied, ‘Naj, do not speak so Do
marry this diwric dimscl ' Then on his sij mg, “So be it"
the girl h7\ing been married (by lam) rcineniliercd llie
preceptor of her race — Tumturti And instmtly appeannp,
he brought Kufa and sacnficial fire wood And m order to
honor Kumialti, that intelligent one s ersed in •i.ncrcd formulT,
for pleasing Mad\la(a, lighted a fire, and with auspicious
ceremonies and nuptial nte* ga\c away the girl (to the

MXRKANOEVA PCRXr^AUf.

M5

prince),— and then went to his quarters whence he had come.
And the. inJelligent one went to his hermitage for practising
austerities. And then the giri addressed her friend, saying,—
'0 thou of a blooming countenance, I have attained the end
of my being. And seeing thee endoivcd uith beauty united
with this one, I shall now, with my heart set at rest, carry on
unrivalled austerities; so that with my sins washed away with
the waters of holy spots, I shall not have again to fare thus.’
And wishing to depart, the lady, hanging down her head in
humility, addressed the lung’s son in accents thrilling with
affection for her friend ; 'O 3'ou of measureless intelligence,
even men should not offer their advice to persons like you.
What shall I say of women? Therefore 1 do not Instruct
you. But as my heart hath been greatly attached by the
alfection of thts slender-waisted damsel, and as I have been
inspired by you also with confidence, I put you in mind of
(this), 0 destroyer of foes. A husband should always
maintafn and protect his wife. For bringing about righteous,
ness, welfare, and desire, a wife is the help-mate of her
husband When the husband and the wife are subservient to
each other, then meet t<^etlier virtue, interest and desire As
the three are established in a wife, how can a person, O lord,
without her attain virtue, or interest, or desire ? In the same
way without her husband a wife cannot work out virtue and
the rest, inasmuch as the three orders* of the objects of
existence depend upon the nuptial duality. O king’s son,

• f»», virtue, interest, and desire , tlic laAaud highot objeet of eaistenes
beinj; tmancip^tian In regard to the last it may be remarked that death la
not the only door to the mansions presided over by Emancipation A man
can irtam ii^nveranti: Virf* -jVt vii va'gfcisyirmwwrohta

The process whereby this can be secured IS (1) self control and purity, and
(a) the practice of j"’gt enlminatiog ID ScnisdAi, in which the devotee is
dead to sense, and is all spirit, holding communion with or rather being rapt
jDto the Deity Recently a Vo/i was brought I know not how to the palace of
a certain suburban nobleman The celebrated writer, Akshay Kuirdr Dutt, saw

19

[45

mXrkandeva PUR/CNARI

wthout a wife, a person catipot worship the deities, the
ancestral manes, the servants,* or the visitors E^en when
gains gotten by people have been gathered to their homes,
they may come to be wasted for want of a wife, or by a wife
that is wicked. That witivout a wife one cannot have his
desire appeareth patent. A couple by following the same
morality cometh by the tliree objects of existence Hating a
\irtuous wife, a man is capable of pleasing his paternal manes
by begetting sons, visitors with fare, and immortals with
adoration. Nor doth a woman compass righteousness, interest
and desire without her husband, for the three kinds of objects
depend upon the connubial duality This much is what I hi'c
to say Now I go whither 1 list. Do you prosper in company
with this lady, with wealth, sons, peace and long life

this great man When h« Erst saw him, he was in Samaifit, and hl» features
shone with a supernatucal lustre, and betokened a *

‘ . II ^ ^ -high hour

Of Ti«iiation from the living Cod',

Hut when Mr, Duit saw him a few days later, his eeunlenance hait grown
psl«, and there were evident marks of sadness and sutfermg tn n Shame
would haye « hid, but the intereiU of trutli obliges me lo say thit some
people connected with the Rajas had in the meantime busied themselves
mast mischievausl)’ in rousmeihe saint from his ecstatic trance Sometimes
thej wouM try his seasaiiun by pfaang live coafs on his bare skin, at others
they would tie him on the banks of the Gsni^es at ebb tide so that^ the flood*
tide might pass over him He awoke, Unfered for a few days, and then
breathed his last I

* The high virtae ef service fiisl revealed by the Divine Teacher,
by his wnihing the feet of KTs disciples, not excluding Judas, was lor^
liefare realired by the sages of lodes, whose penetration into the
prnfiindilies cl Iht ipintual sphere has been xvilhoBt a parallel in human
) islory The tDvrshi^ t/rjanlt slonfv with that of deities and palernal
manes testifies to the reverence our footfathrrs felt for trreifr To his elernsl
errdit, Auguile Comte afono smong tnodsrn pUilcophers has hern ahle to
ronctire (he iserfable worth and SSBCtity surrounding derv/rr, under irho«.
banncT the heroes «! numanitj cslist tl ctnselvcs for the attainment ct the

Suptem* r.OQil

M^RK/VNDCYV PURXNAM

U7

Tlie sons went on ‘Having delivered herself thus, she,
embracing her friend, and saluting the prince, v\ent away by
the best of routes wherever she desired And Satrujtt s son,
taking h-*r* on his steed intended to depart from the nether
regions, — when his purpose was read by the brood of Danu
Thereat they suddenly shouted out, — ‘Some one carries off
the beautiful fair that had been brought hither by Paialaketu
from the ethenal regions’ Then along with PalalaJtetu
the Vanava forces equipped themselves with bludgeons and
scimitars and clubs and darts and arrows and (various other)
weapons , and those foremost of Danavas, exclaiming, — Stay !
Stay! showered arrons and darts on the son of the king
Thereat laughing as if in sport, the powerful son of Safrtijil
severed all those weapons with vollies of shafts In a moment
the nether regions were strewn with swords, darts, rir/i/»t
and arrows, cut olf b) the shafts discharged by RttadJuaja
Then taking up a TashtraX weapon, he hurled it against the
Danazas and engarlanded with furious flames, the weapon
nved the bones ol the along with and
they were utterly consumed even as the sons of Sagara had
been by (he energy of A'rf/r/if'J Having slam those mighty
Asuras, the prince accompanied by that gem of n female,
mounting hts horse, come to the city of his father And
bowing down, he related everything that had befallen unto his
sire— his journej to the nether regions his sight of Kuudalat
his obtoimng Madalnsa, his encounter with the Z?(lfia ar,
llieir destruction with his arms — and(fnart)) his return (to
his country) Hearing the adventures of that one of excellent

* $e ti i biide

■t AknUotiMfi, »

J , e belane ng lo of — ? t Mrebitect ol tke coiitto*,—

a name cf (he Vulcan of the Ktodur

{ The len thoaiand io»» of B^earn a k n( of ibe Solir J t>f were

reduced to tihe) the sUaet pi tbt Aaf la on ihe octal oo of their

-c»«h far Ihe eafriSeijI ioisc wb ck haA btea tel loose afltr feaji
ml oe

148

WXRKANDCW nJRXN\M

disposition, lus father was well pleased, and embracing Eis
son, he addressed Kim, saying,-— *0 son, I have been jedeenied
by thee high souled and endued vsith worth, who hast
delivered from fear the ascetics practising their own morality
The fame that had been established by ancestors and
that had (subsequently) been spread bj me, hath, 0 hero,
been magnified by thee, possessed of prowess TTie person
that doth not destroy the renown, riches, or prestige won
by hi3 father, is considered as of middling merit And
that person who by virtue of lus native rmglit increascth the
influence (inherited), is called by the wise best of men
And that one that decreaseih the riches, pcia\er, or renenm
earned by his sire, is styled the worst of men I had rescued
Brahmanas even as thoti hast done But thou hast,
my child, in addition to this performed a journey to the
nether regions and hast also destroyed the (there)
Therefore even thou art the best ol men Therefore, my boy,
blessed art thou, and thou dost overtop all m virtues , and
having thee for a son, I am worthy of being extolled by even
the virtuous The man that m wisdom, munificence and
prowess IS not surpassed by his son, doth not, 1 ween,
experience the joy flomng from having a son Accursed
IS the life of him who is known among men through his sire
The life of that one of auspicious birth is blessed through
whom his father acquireth fame He that is known through
himseif 18 fortunate , he that is known through his father and
grand father is middling but the vvor^t of men is he that
reapeth esteem Uirough his mother or maternal relations
Therefore, 0 son, do thou increase in wealth, power, and
happiness, por do thou (ever) for'iake the Gandharva's
daughter’ Having thus again and again addressed him
sweetly m various ways, and embraced him, his fither
dismissed him to his house along with his wife And m
company with his wife he began -to sport in the pvlace of Ins
father as well as in other places — in gardens, woods and

h/Crkan[>cy\ porXnam

'49

mountam slopes And that cxcdlcDt sli:ndcr-\\aibted damsel,
morning ^fter mtjrnmg bowing down unto the feet of her
father-in-law and mother-in-law, disported with him ”

CHAPTER XXIt

' Then after a long lapse of time, the king anew addressed
his son, saying,— 'Go without delay, and range the earth for
the deliverance of the Viprai* Every day inounling tins
steed, you mu>t day after day be ever inleot on secunng
peace unto the foremost Dwijas There are wicked D&navas
by hundreds, sprung from sinful sources Do you so act that
no impediments may present themselves to ascetics from
these ’ Thereat the king's son did as lie was bid by his sire
And day after day the king's son at the first part of the day
ranged the earth, and then bowed to the feet of his father ,
and during the remainder of the day he sported with that
dainty-wnsted damsel And it came to pass that once on a
time as be was going about on the banks of the YapmnAt he
saw younger brother, Tttlaiefu, who was living

in a hermitage at that place And that Danava potent with
illusive powers, staying there in the shape of an ascetic,
remembering bis former hostility, spake to the prince
‘0 prince, if you wish jI, do what 1 fell you 0 you of trutMul
promises, you have never tlcoied tlie prayer uf any one For
acquiring nghteuusness, ] shall perform a sacrifice, and sbail

* Unlike Die social stale depicted u the Jtoniij'ano tbaC treated ol m
this Putina shows the Btahmaruif occopjing Ibe highest positios la the
eociciri ■‘O't commanding (ho eainereal bomage et (be other orders

mArk.a\de\ \ purXsAai

*50

also celebrate the ishtts* Therein I shall Ime to make the
tiecessar) fires but I ha\e no dakshtnas (to gn There-
fore, 0 hero m order that I may bestois gold do } ou grant
me the ornament which clmgeth to 3 our neck and do 3 011
protect m3 hermitage so long as I, remaining under water,
do not return m haste after having sung the praises of the
god, Vanina — lord of aquatic animals — with Vatdika formulae
relating to Vanina, conducive to the prosperity of the
subjects' When he had said this, he (the prince), saluting
him, made over to him the ornaniert on his neck, and said
unto him Go 30U, Sir, with a heart free from anMct> I
will 0 righteous one, in accordance with 3 our desire, remain
b3 3our hermitage so long as 30U do not come (back) 1
remaining here, no one will occasion an3 disturbance to)Ou
Breathing confidence do 30U quietlj work 30ur will

The sons went on ' Thus accosted b) him (the prince),
he (the Dad} a) submerged into the waters of the river , and
he (the prince) protected his asylum brought into being by
illusion Then Talaketu from that watery expanse going
to Madilasa and others spoke thus ‘As m the vicinity of
m) aS3lum the heroic if«nT/4yafafl vias protecting the
anchorets, fighting to tlic best of his might and sh) mg in
battle the enemies of ihc ihcre a certain wicked

and iniquitous resorting to his power of illusion cleft

hmi m the chest wilh a dart , and this neck ornament did
he make over to me in hia dying moments Tlic Sudra
a<cclicshavc burnt him in the wood And as Ins steed,
hurried with tears in Ins c)cs was neighing distressfully , he
was^ earned ofT In tlnlT same impious Dina a AH this
hath tiren witnessed by me, heartfess and wicked Do
<«jav nvjvx «tr fiVxf wiVicd sdooiW dc oWtr dy yew Alvy
untoward lini** and do you also late ihu neck ornament
capaJ le of roiisoling your heart We ascetics fiavc notl ini*

todowilh gill *

* A foitcl • »«(« Set

mArkwdew porXnw

The sons con, .need 'HasmB sa.d th.s, he A™"
that (ornament) on the groand, -irent nnaj a ^ j
come And (anon, ah, oaerrrheWd

the ground, overcome “ es belong, ng to

consciousness, the \\i\es of llie King, „ tn lament,

the rojal tam.ly as veil as the «'■»& ,„,„g that

smitten ,„lh encess husband had been

neck ornament ‘ |,fe And the m.gW)

slam, at once renounced he *u» mval residence,

lamentations similar to those that ^ J/arfntod

rose in the abodes of the c.l.«ns ^ J h„ ,„rd,

dead on account o, -J, -.X^rt: addressed the

the hing, solacing himsel J /*„amorel On reflection, I

people sajing -'Do ^and

perceive the insUbiliiy o‘ > shalll gnev e fur tny

me Shall 1 grie'« , u-atter sedatclj I thinh

daugWer in lav 5 u^„od inasmuch as the, hat e

that neither ought to |„„,ul

perlomedtheir duties And y mandate, met

\>jth protecting the can he deserve to be

h,s death (tthde ^^^^’resti o( the regenora.e ones mj son
mourned? If of Ins which needs must go ’

hath git en up that tame o(h.s^^^^ h „

doubtless conducctl. >» >• ", ,„d ll„,t can she he

ladj hath gone In the j^itt than

lamented, seems that a ehc ttould hate

,,erlordJ U 'he h.endt a.d other

been the object u hiadness nufat

people composed of I tlu^Hd) immcd.

hennng that her ms , ^ „ot to be moutned by the wise

alulj (ollouedhim sheoug „l ihe.i husband.

Those uomcn „h, d.e along uUh their lords

■houhl he lamented oaperieace the loss ot her

This gralclul lad, had , here and herealler.

husband The dispenser «l PP

MSRKANDCYA PUrX'JAM

153

){eth low )n the field, a motlier, I eoncene, hath her throe*
crouncd \%jth consumniation

The sons continued “Then the hing performed the
fuucrnl obsequies of liis daughtcfcn law , and then issuing
out, fie bathed and offered water unto his son * (In the
meantime) Talaketu, emerging out of the waters of the
pretending to show his affection fto the prince),
<paXc unto htm in homed words, saying — ‘Go, O son of the
King Through jou haie I attained the desire of my lieart You
having staged hi,rc steadfastly, I ha>c been able to perform
the work, desired for a long space of time — c%en the /■’ctrima
gacrtfice in honor of the high soulcd lord of water All this
which I had desired hath been accomplished ' Then bowing
unto him, the prince mounted his steed, having the vigor of
Sitfiania or the Wind, and went to tl c capital of his father.”

CHAPTER XXm,

Tilt sons went on ‘Tlien haslil> entering his natne
ciij, Uk king’s son, eager to bow down to the feet of Ins
filhcr .nnd mother and behold Madulata, first found the
cilircns wrought up with anxiety, with countcmnccs betraying
indnci.^ Next he found them oxerwhclmed by amaremert,
and showing (decs indicatne ol exliilaraiion And he saiv
others with eyes expanded, cxclaimidg iLuck ' Luck', and
cmbracirig each other cn ecstiacs mid saying,— Long liie
you O you of supreme gotxl fortune’ Miy your cncmiei
meet with dcs’ruction' Do you, with your impediments
rcmoied plsddrn the hearts of your parents and of oursehes
aho.’ biymg this, they surrounded his front and rear And
* t r ««lciy cVUuem t> iIm isaat* cl h i dTptnttl sja
30

mXrkandcya porXsam

153

lieth lo« m the field, a mother, I eonccivc, hath her throes
crowned w^th consuinination ’ '

The sons continued ‘Then the king performed the
funeral obsequies of his daughter in law and then issuing
out, fie bathed and offered water unto his son * (In the
meantime) Talaketu, emerging out of the waters of the
Yamuna, pretending to show his affection fto the pnnee),
spake unto him m homed words, saying — Go, O son of the
king Through }ou have I attained the desire of my heart You
having stayed h<*rc steadfasti), I have been able to perform
the work desired for a long space of time — even the Varuna
sacrifice in honor of the high souled lord of water All this
which I had desired hath been accomplished ' Then bowing
unto him, the prince mounted his steed, having the vigor of
Suparna or the Wind, and went to the capital of his father '

CHAPTER XXMI

Tml sons went on Then hastily entering his native
cilv, the king’s son, eager to bow down to the feet of his
father and mother and behold Madalasa, first found the
citizens wrought up with anxiety, with countenances betraying
sailnt«-5 Next he found them overwhelmed by amaicmcnt,
and showing faces indicative of exhilaration And he savv
others with eyes cxpandcti, cxclaimiitg jLuck ' Luck’, and
embracing each other in ccslacies and saying — Long Inc
you 0 you of suprcnii. good fortune* Mny your enemies
meet with destruction* Do you, vmIIi your impediments
removed gladden the hearts of jour parents and of ourselves
aUo* Saying this, they surrounded his front and rear And

* I r bVUl oat la tSa iiue«< o( d'Cirtol t«a

30

mXrkandc\a purXwm

156

with thee, 3 et exist, O goddess, as if they were connected
with thee O godde'^s, thon art the pnine Letter in which all
IS established O goddess, lh^t pnme letter pcr\ adeth e\ cr) -
thing like the monad The Letter<«> is the Brahma,

as well as this uniierse composed of w ater Ande\enas
fire resideth in wood or as the atom pera adeth the Earth, so
Brahma as well as this entire unuerse reside m thee The
Letter, Om, the stable and the unstable, the three measures
the existent, and the non existentP) — (ha>e thee for their
Eta)) The three spheres, the three Vedas, {c) the three
aarieliesfO of knowledge, the three fires, W the three kind»
of lustre, Oy the three orders, (f) the kinds of moralitv, thc-
three principles, W the three sounds,(*) the three deities''-''^ the
modes of life, the three kinds of time,(*> the three agc5,W
the ancestral Mancs.t"*) da) and night, etc, — all lhc«e, O

^iXrkandew plrXsuj

157

goflt^ess, arc the three measurtK,—wl»icIi, 0 Sarasiiait, art
thy fonn 0 goddess »t 15 b) Mrtuc of the utterance conferred
by thee that the worshippers of Brahma are enabled to
perform the seven kinds of recitation origintl and eternal,
s^signcd severally to ioflia, Xatrt and /oXe, laid down m (he
Br^hviant^ for the worship of per‘ions of divers creeds
Thou bast another pnmary Form which is incapable nP
being assigned — which is involved in half a measure,
which IS divine and is unsusceptible of modification, or
detciioration or development This transcendental form
of ihme I am incompetent to pourtraj in speech And it is
incapable of being unfolded either by mouth, or tongue, or
palate, or the upper lipt Indra and the Vasus and Brahma
and the Moon and (he Sun and (he stellar bodies ^arc all tli}
Terms) In thee are the abode of the universe, the form
thereof, the lord thereof, the supreme Lnrd, that which halh
been described in Saaihja, l^eJaafa and ascertained b) the
various branches (of the i'cda) that which 15 without
beginning and without middle and without end (hat which is
existent ani non existent . and that which is the actual , that
which is one and many nnd that wliich is not one , that
which 19 the stay of the difference obtaming in creation,
which hath no designation, and which again, goelh under
the name of the SIX attributes and four orders which is the
support of tlie three principles which among various power-
ful objects is tlie acme of ■mergy , which IS happiness and
unhappiness and uhicli is the imglft) Amity (in the
universe) In this wiseO goddess thou perndest every thing
cither crude or devefoped In thee* is e 5 tab!r«!icd Brahma,
both ns Hr. is One and as Uc is many Through Thee alone are

* A rfiTiJion of Ihf trMi Bg «I »i»«l

■t OjVMb I lenllj in»»>p« ifrnppwlp But liw Icarttif lS«[pi,
jpnwitlymeanl coiwiJetlnf tliJI Ifceoppfr Jp « »• much e«rt«fr»d With
uilrraitee at tie lower tor,atti ibot mSISb ts lonetisci «>cd jn I],;

MXRKANOrVA PUR^NAM.

*58

pcrccncd all objects tliat arc enduring, or permamert,
tliat are gross, subtle or supcrsubtic , that exist on tlie
earth, in the sky or at any other place. To thee arc related
alike all that have forms and that are formless ; that Avhich are
partially in creatures; that v\hich arc in heaven, on earth, in
the sky or elscwlicre, — and these arc cognized through thy
>one)s and consonants* Thus eulogised, then the goddess,
Samstuftit — tongue of Viifittii — ans%^e^c(l the high-souled
Afxatara, sajing . 'O brother of .Kzwiirt/j, O lord of
snakes, I will bestow a boon on )ou Therefore tell me, and
I Mill grant you whatever may be in ) our mind.’ Afwafara
replied ‘First, O goddess, do thou consign unto me Kamvala
as my help ; and (then) do thou confer on us a knowledge of all
the musical notes ’ Sarasaait 9;ixd ‘O best of serpents, there
are seven notes,* seven species of rofiTf.t seven classes of
songs, seien MurchehhanasX nine and forty measures, and

* Bftch cUis it based on Ks Ke; ncte

t Th« eharaetee of Hindu music differs so essentially from that of ttie
music of other nations, tfvat It IS sumewhat diBicult to convey in one word
a correct tigriBcitton of the term Aeeotitng to Sanslrut aulhout/.

It signifies “An effect cn the mind ptodeced b/ the agreeable relation of
soceessive notes each Ri/a haem; some affinity with certain feeling or
affection of the mind” * Dy ” says Raja Sir Soanndra Mohun Tagore,
Mus Doc, C 1 E, in his Work entitled TkeSix Principal Rigas vf the
Hmdut ‘IS implied the agreeable effect of any determinate succession of
notes, employed with a strict recard to the laws of Yidt, ^amvadl, Anuv&dl,
and Vttidl arranged with JIfurcAMeade, and of proportional lengths with
respect to the na’ure of the Loya or theeed liii/um movement that runs
tbrcsgb its futl most not be confounded with tune or air,

for any number oE tunes cr mrs may be evolsed out of a particufar Riga
It may appropriately be called a Hehtdy mould in which a number

of malodies of a particular character may be east The number of original
Ro^as IS described by Sanskrit authority in music as six, and out of the
combinations or modifications of tbes^. innumerable Refjrims are sprung
The SIX original Rayas, aceordiay; to certain authorities, are Sn, Vasanta,
Panthama SkMrava, Mtghe aad AW* they being sung respect-

lYcly in the dewy season, spring, summer, auUmn, the r»ny season, and

t A terra expressive of the full extent of the Hindu scale of music, and as

MARKAHDC\A PURXnAM

>59

three Gramas* AU this shall you sing as also Kaimala, O
sinless ojie And, O king of snakes, by my grace you shall
know other things as well I confer on you (a knowledge of)
the four padas^ the three kinds of atodyas } By my grace^

ttiis exiendj to three octarei, there are eonse^eently twentf one J/urfMant/s
having rlulisct namen A ifureiehana differs from a Sur (note) in (his respect
that there are tnentj one of the lormer and oat; seven of the Utter — >so that
every Sur has the same name whether it belongs to the lowest middle
or highest octave , whereas every individual sound through the whole range
o( three octaves has a distinct name when it is considered as A/urrA-iaea,
by which way of naming them (he ocCaveof any part cular soand has a dis
tiflct appellvtivc”— Capt WilJard s Treahu e» ikt Uusic ef HtndustHH

* Cmma— Grind tn the musical acceptation of the term signiSes a
senes of notes arranged and disposed according to certain laws ’ A Grana is
composed of the seven prisetpal notes «( the compass «i/ ■ — d’o, Ga XIa,
i'a £Ae, and Ml corresponding to C, D B P, G A (slightly modified) and G
of the Diatonic scale of the Engl sh Each such note ts made up of a certain
number of Sruitt or rtiinuresobdirisions percepiible to the ear dd is made up
of 4 Brutif, Jft of 3 Go of a Xda of 4 /Vs of 4, Dha of ^ end N* of 2 VVheo the
compass consists of the seven notes each having the full complenenl of its

Brulu It It said to be of the4Aa4/o^rdmiT Thu* —44 iPi Co XTd

, . , Pa DXa M 40 (of ihenext higher ocuve) The subjoined table
shows the three grirnat as recognized in the classical musical authorities of
the Hfodus aaihort the iladkyamaaodCandXaragr^gtas rteieAueeiUarrx

ibe Saiija grumu

Badja grima^Si Rx OS Sfi Pa Dhi M (<Sa Pi Gd
XUihyama , — — hi /?, j/S * Pi j>H M

I 111 II)

Caitdkira , = — ~Si Ri Od Xli Pa Dha M

The above Illustrates the definition given in Stnyir ^a;»dvo/> and other
musicat works that tne word ge0«»ii denotes (he note in reference to which
the relative heights and tfiitanees of tbe^six other nates of Ihe octave are
ascertained —(Six grinei/al Rigas) It isadded that the use of the f74ndAsrii
grdma is confined to the celestial regions

t tadd. w ol (O'u ViCKts Asdvlyi— 1« strata Aittori— ae.<i sttaie,
Sanekirt —^rd strain and A iXega—Ath strain Every Hindu air is composed
«f parts which must not be fewer iban two— VI* Atihiyi and Aelarg Jt «
the ist strain which is the most importani embodying the principal features q(
the melody on which the air in ^nestion is based

t This IS the gerenc name of(i) rafo— strflged instruments, (a) A’naJdka

MARK\NDE\A PURiCtJAM

160

0 sovereign of serpents, (you shall know) all this and more
that IS included in the former or is dependent on fjie same,
and that IS related to ^o\veI3 and consonants All this hath
been exhaustively conferred on you as ivell as I

had ne\ ei conferred these on anyone before O Paitii/rga,
in the world of men and the nether regions, jou two shall he
the inventors of all these, — m the subterranean sphere, the
region of the immortals and the world of human beings, 0
serpents

‘Jara spoke "Having said this, the goddess Sarasuatl
of lotus-eyes, — representing the tongue of all creatures,
became instantaneously invisible to the serpent And agree-
ably to what had been said (by Sar/tstvait), both the brothers
had all that knowledge, and they attained a consummate
knowledge ol paefa, measure, notes, etc Then singing by help
of the seven notes* to the accompaniment of layai kept by
stringed instruments, the Nagas desirous of adoring the
Lord su'iLed on the pinnacle of the foremost of mountains,
Hare, the destrojer of person, with their speech

and senses restrained, and their minds concentrated, made
mighty exertions, morning and night and noon and evening,
(for gratif)mg the god) After a great gap of time, He
hiving the bull for his binner, was wcH-pIeased with their
songs, and the lord spake unlo them, — ‘Receive the boon
() ou would have) ’ Thereat Afwatara, bow mg dow n unto the

—percussion insifumcots covered wuh hide (3) SuiViro— Mowing tnstru
ments, and (4I metatltc instioenents or plales which are struck

• iGilaiai ^Seflarih may also mean, and tialurally eaoogh J^fs mean,
snen songs ^

t The word laya in music siftnifics ' the stream st time that runs tl rouch
apiece or composition from the instant «i its adoption to Ifist when »t is
dropped —Six/irtncifitlHigas «f tk* //in /hi There are three kind, of
laya recOEniied in Hindu Muse, (he utaJiy^ toya which Is the normsi
movement, the riSamvtIa which is twice, and the J/ul^ which is I alf |h«
Icr^th ci Uie course ot the tnaJ/ijj

MXRkANDn V PlJRXN\\t

1C2

the snake king, resomMmg immortnls, pjeisnntly sported with
Riladhiiaja And once on a time the snake king^rejojccd,
addressed Ins sans, “lajing — 'Wherefore do you not do that
ttliich I iiad told before ? Why, my children, do you not bring
before me tliat bestow er of honor, that benefartor of jours —
the prince — m order that some good oflice may be rendered
unto him?’ Thus accosted by their sire from affection, they,
repairing to the residence of Ibcir friend began to sport with
that intelligent one Then after haiing talked on other
matters, they affectionately asked him to go to their home To
them the Ling’s son said 'Of a certainty this is jour house
and the riches vehicles, attires, etc, ^\htcli are mine, are
alike jours Whatever, things, nches, or gems, 0 sons of
the twice born* one, j on desire to bestow on me give them
to me, if you cherish any affection for me I h ive hitherto
been disappointed by wicked Destiny, inasmucli as joudo
not regard my house with a personal affection Ifyouivislt
to do what IS agreeable to me, if jou would extend jour
favor unto me then enlerUm a personal affecLion for iny
wealth and abode Wbal is yours is mine and what is mine
is yours Know ijjis as the truth that you two are mj life
ranging about Never again 0 best of twice born ones
must you speak of such a difference Be propitious to me from
the love you bear me, 1 charge you on my life ' Thereat
with their faces bedewed with tears of afferlior both the
sons of the serpent, somewhat angered from their affection,
spoke to the kings son Q Ritadhnajs wliat thou hast said
unto us admits of no douJ>t Even such are our minds You
need not apprehend othermse But our high louJed sire
spoke to us ^gain and again < — J lor beholding JCuva

i'ayafua — ’ ritemipuir jEiCTn{iy«vai.ar lObiirg' op* ^arur ibs
superb seat, said — Jfi father hath eaen said this ’ — and then
he bowed low to the ground 'Blessed am I — and great is
• A serpent is iw «6 bem being boro fire* »» »" *«S a"** •'conilly &s »

M/^RkVNOCYA PURXvAM

163

my religious merit Who is there tint is like unto me,
seeing that my sue IS — so eager for seeing me? Then, do
jou rise I do not wish to disregard his mandate even for a
moment I sw ear by ?ik feet ’ *

“Jara continued ‘ Having said this the king 5 son departed
with them Andha\ing come out of the city, he arrived
at (the banks of) the holy Gornati And the son of the
monarch and those foremost of serpents proceeded along the
breast of the river The prince thought that their abode Ky
on the other side of the stream Then they, pulling the
prince, took him to the nether regions And on coming to
the nether sphere he found the sons of the serpent shining
with the lustre of the gems crowning their crests and bearing,
the Stesstika* marks (oa their persons) Beholding those
beauteous bodies of theirs, the pnnc^ with his eyes expanded
with wonder, out of affection said with a smile ,— '0 foremost
of twice horn ones, this IS excellent’ Then they communi*
cated the prince s arrival to the lord of snakes— their sire—
the gentle Afu/itara, worthy 0/ being honored even by the
dwellers themselves of heaven The son of the monarch
surveyed the subterraneous sphere charming , graced with
boys and youths, old folks and serpents, as also with the
daughters of snakes adorned with ear rings and necklaces,
sporting all around, even as the firmament is furnished with
stars and at other places eloquent with strains accompanied
with the music of flutes and vtnas , resonant with the sounds
of mrtdan^as, and panavas anti ,f and thronging

with hundreds of enchanting edifices Eying around the

nether regions that subduer of enemies '•afrujtt s son, went
along with tho^e beloved serpents Then alt entered the

• A Vind of myst eal fijnre the inscnploa of wh ch on any person or
th ng IS generally cons dered to be tacky

t A mus cal instrument As to its shape or size we are quite in the
dark —nor can out general refeiee «fao is a profound and versatile Sanskrit
sefiolar, enl ghten us

mXrkandeya purXnam

iG4

quarters of the sovereign of serpents, and saw the high-
souled serpent-king seated there, wearing noble garlands and
attire, decked in jeivellcd ear-rings, adorned with chains of
transparent pearls, — (saw) that exalted one furnished with
armlets, and seated on a seat entirelj made of gold, — whose
proper form had been hidden by the blaze of rubies, sapphires,
and lapisea (with which it was studded) He was shewn by
them (unto the prmce), saying, — ‘This is our sire,' and then
they said unto their fnllicr, — ‘This is the hero, Kiivala^a^ua '
Thereat Riiadhwaja bowed unto the feet of the serpent king ,
and the sovereign of serpents, raising him up, embraced him
warmly And smelling the crown of his head, he said,—
‘May you live longl With jour foes slain, may ^outend
your father and mother ' My child, fortunate are j ou, since
even in your absence, my sons expatiate upon your extra
ordimry virtues On account of this, you shall grow in
mind, speech, body and energy The life of one meritorious
Is commendable, while a worthless wight is dead even when
alive Bringing peace to his parents and heart-burning
to his enemies, a meritorious person, believing in great men,
secureth his own welfare Deities, ancestral manes, kinsmen,
Brahmanas, friends, suitors and Vtkalas* — all wish for the
long life of a mentonous individual Successful is the life
of one possessed of merit, desisting from calumny, cliensli-
uig kindness (for all), and affording shelter Lo the distressed ’ ’
Jara went on “Having spoken thus to that hero, the
serpent, desirous of Entertaining Kuvalayagwa addressed his
sons, saying, — ‘After having finished bath and other acts in
due .order, and after having drunk wine, and enjojed other
pleasures, and finished our meals agreeably to our desire,
will we, with delighted liearts,spend a short space m converse
with Kinalaya(wit, resembhng the festal hilarity of the heart '
Thereupon Satnijtt’s son mutely acijuiesced m the same
And tlie king of serpents of noble intelligence acted accord.

Persons Kitbout a limb

^^<<Rk^SD[:vA ^L;RA^\M

i6s

ingl) And that self controUed and trutldul lord of mighty
scqDcnts leading a life of pleasure along Mitli Iiis sons md
(Int of the monarch, dul> ate and drank, experiencing (he
height of joy ”

CHAPTER XXIV

‘ Wiirv the lord of the mr-suhsi'ling* one' Ind Finislicd
his meal, he worshipped l>> liis sons as well a' the
prince Then the mngnvnmous scrpentwilh agreeable speech
pleased the friend of Ins sons, and said '0 placid one,
fcnoirneing mispiungs, do joo, who hare come lo mj Iioimc,
without any hesitation tell me what I shall do for you, nrn
as a son spcakclfi lf> hts •■ifc Tell me what it is you wouhl
hisc — silscf, Of gold or attire, or schidcs, or srats^ Tlurc-
at ansurrtd ‘Hy your j:;Tace f have gold in

my father’s house , and hitherto I have not di.«idcratid any
such artitlt On m> sire having poaemid the Parth for
tlioii«afldi of year*, and JOB having ruled the nether ^e"cfln^
niy mind hath ntvtr hem prepared for sohntalinn J'liry
an. worthy nl heaven and of eminent religious merit who,
thiir sires living m tlmryouth tan consider ifu/zr of riches
.a>tha (7 frimih an of the same ili'po'iiion uiihmr,
and my tody is free Imin ailments niv failier is (urni'fivd
williwvalth aiidl am ( ndcitd Hiih youch \\ h it (hen h,ivi
f not? A run faitinj waftft !n lfioi»„^l* run epon

litcpng llu* vvhv hav m,; < nou^li and to span ‘fall my
tim^vic iMer the lingMi *• of at ts ask tt,' > \Anfv(,’<..d

• Thi mil v" •<•>*« s^r** • *•'’ T»j»-

•’cr>rF>«tc fill*

*»*-"*• - I-*”

M<RK\\Dr\A purXvam

1 66

nre the) that ln\e not to think, — In m)^ home there is some
vcalth , there is none in mj home, — and that repose in the
shade of the trees represented bj their fathers’ arms But
those that from their ^cry bo) hood are engaged m maintaining
their relatnes, ha\e, I fancj, been drprncd of the taste of
felicity hy Providence By jour grace, out of the riches
amassed (by m) sire),and granted by him (to me), I, agreeably
to my desire, daily dispense wealth unto suitors And when I
lia\e been able to touch these two feet of jours with the jewel
cresting my tiara, and when also I ha% e touched j our person
itself, all this have I obtained ”*

y<j^flwenton “When that best of serpents had been
thus addressed in a humble speech, he, well pleased, spoke
to that benefactor of his sons, the prince ‘Jf thou dost not
wish to accept gold and gems from me, then tell me wliat
thou ddightest in, and tint will I give thee' TliereaL
/kWva/ayii^a/J answered ‘Worshipful sir, through jour favor
every kind of desirable objects is in my house , and all that
I have obtained in a special nay by sight of you 1 have
attained the end of my existence, and my life hath been
crowned w ith fruit , since, although a human being, I have been
able to touch the person of you who are a god If my head
receives the dust of your feel, what then, 0 lord of serpents,
du I not attain by^thal?* But if you must confer on me a
desirable boon, then (grant me this) that my habit of perform-
ing pious acts may never forsake me Vehicles, house,
seats, gold, jewels, and precious stones, as well as wife,
meats and drinks, sons, graceful garlands and unguents, song
and the music of instfuments, and various other desirable
things, — are, m my opinion, the fruit of the tree of piety
*at tbA

roots of Piety , for to the righteous, nothing whatever is
difficult of being obtained' A^mala%a said 0 wise one,
thy mind shall be established in righteousness even in this
way Verily righteousness is furnished with this fruit, as thou

mAkkasdew PURAW^J 167

hast described For all that, havtjig now come to my
mansion, t^ou must accept something which may recommend
itself to thee, and winch is incapable of being obtained in the
world of men ’ Hearing his words the king's son looked at the
faces of the sons of llie soiereign of serpents Thereat, bowing
themscKes down, those heroes clearly communicated to their
sire all that was in the heart of the prince 'Practised upon
by a perverse minded and nicked souled hostile Danava, tins
one’s beloscd spouse, hearing that he had been slam renounced
her dear life She was the daughter of the king of
Gandharvas, known by the name of Madalasa. Thereupon,
from motl^es of gratitude, this (prince), 0 sire, madethc
tow,— No other woman will I e$pouse,pasting hy Madalasa
This hero, Jitieidhwaja, father, hungers for a sight of that
entirely beauteous one If you could compass this, then )ou
would do a benefit to him ’ ^fnaf/)ra said ‘When the
elements (composing the corporal tenement) hate (once)
been disunited, how can they unless m a dream or by help of
Asura powers be made to combine m the self same way i ‘
*}<tra went on 'Thereat, boning down to the lord of
serpents, 5a/r«y;/’j son, infloenctd by Jove and bashfulness,
answered that high souled one, saying ‘If even, 0 ^l^e, you
can show me Ifadalas&t created through the power of
illusion, 1 shall deem that a favor hath been done to me ’
Afical/tra said 'My child if thou wouldst behold (Madaluia)
created through illusion, behold her As being a boy thou
dcservest to be favored (by me), so being my guest, thou
must be regarded in the light of a spiritual preceptor ' "

yara continued "(Then) Ihe snake king brought Mada
lasix protected in his abode, and, with a \ic\j to deceiving
them, he began to audibly recite a number of words And
then he <howed that auspicious (damsel) to the king’s son,
‘:-i}ing — '0 prince, IS aiie or IS she not thy wife MadaJaji}
Seeing that fine framed one, he, instantly casting off shame,
rushed low nrtis her, ciclaiming 'My beloved*' Thcrcnt the

jUPkANDE\A PURXnAM

I6S

snake, Afviatara, speedily pTCvented him^ sajing — 'My son,
this IS iJlaSion Do not toach her* 1 have already^told tliee
that if (an image evolved by) illusion be touched, it anon
vanishes ' Thereat, he dropped down senseless on the
ground, exclaiming — ‘Ah' my beloved !’ The fair one
thought— 'Ah f What an afifection doth the king cherish for
me, and how fixt is his mind on me, seeing that this bringer-
down of foes hath himself been brought donn without
weapons ' I have been shewn by inmf in (this form), as (the
work of) illusion It is plain that an unreal illusion is brought
forth bj the activ e energy of air, water, lustre, earth and
ether ’

The son went on ‘Then solacing cifua, the

serpent comniunjcated to k/m eierj thing concerning the
revival (of Afadalasa^ Then delighted on obtaining his
beloved, (the pnnce) bowing down to the snake, remembered
Ins steed , and on its arrival, mounted it, and set out for his
graceful city ’

CHAPTER XXV

Hvv I^C returned to his native city, he related ever) thing
as to how that slender framed girl had been obtaintd after
she had breathed her last And she, possessed of punt) of
clnncter, bowed down at the feet of her father in hw and
* How very trcarlj this sitoat od approaches a Ikescenein \\inUrt
Tate I Mark! Pauimttsyi —

Good my lord forbear

Tho ru44 neio vpor, tier I p is wcl

Aou II tnai It if knit sta n your own

VV iih o ty paiot ng — — i ■
t Ti e serpent king

mXrkamdcya purXmam

169

motl)er in Ian and honored her relations with salutations or
embraces having regard to propriety and age And then
the cih2ens m that metropolis gave themselves up to festive
rejoicings And RitadUv-eja also for a long time disported
with that slender waisted damsel neat the nils of mountains,
the banks of rivers, romantic woodlands and groves And
desirous of drawing upon her religious merit through the
enjoyment of agreeable things she sported with that
exceedingly beloved one at (various) beautiful spots And
it came to pass that after a long lapse of time king Sairujtt,
Jiaving ruled the earth well paid his debt to nature Then the
citizens spnnked as king his son the high souled Rttadh-waja
of straight ways And as he was governing his subjects as
if they bad been the sons of his loins Madalasa gave birth to
her first son The father of the child assigned his intelligent
son the name of Vikranta Thereat the retainers (of the
rojal household) experienced great joy and Madalasa
laughed As once on a time her infant son Ijing supinely,
began to cry in indistinct tones Madalasa spoke to him by
way of soothing him My child thou art without a name *
name thou hast none It is by imagination that a name hath
been assigned thee t This body of thine forged of the five
elements is not thme — and thou too dost not belong to it
Wherefore then dost thou weep? Perhaps thou dost not
weep this is a self sprung sound uttering itself through the
king's son And throu^ ignorance various qualities good

• TVi s fotc bly rem nds a ranger ol the t cH’*sr hule of Engl sh verse of
BUke s transformat on and developmeot ot that tender cmot on ch Id lore
into the most beaut ful baby that ever breathed

I bare pQ name ’

1 am bot two days old
— What shall 1 call thee i
— 1 hapyj am
Joy s my Dane
—Sweet joy beiall thee 1
t What dots th s mean f
22

170

Mi<RkANDEYA PURi^NAM

and bad pertaining to the elements lla^e been attributed to tliy
organs In this world beings extremely feeble (by nature)

attain their growth by help of the elements and taking meats

and drmks , but thou hist neither growth nor decay 0”
this covering being shrunken, thou wilt In e on Therefore
thou must not suffer thyself to he stupified on account of thy

corporal frame It is by %trtuc of fair ind foul acts begot
of stupifnction occasioned by pride and the other passions
that this covering of a body hath been fixed (on thee) Neither
father, nor son, nor mother, nor wife, nor kindred, nor those
that arc not kinsmen — arc anything Thou must not regard

highly these collections of the elements Those that ha\e
their intellect stupified consider pain as capable of mollifying
pain, and enjoyment is conduene to pleasure Those that
are unlettered and ha\c their sense greatly stupified look
up6n particular pains as so many pleasures When a woman

laughs, her bones stireout, and her two lustrous eyes flash

forth wrath Her bust is i mass of flesh, and her Paphtan
passage is similar Therefore, is not a female a very hoH ^
On earth is the ^ ehicle * in the vehicle is the body, and w ithm
the body is located another person The sense of mineness
which IS in one’s body is not there Alas for the fatuity
(of men) '

CHAPTER XXVI

As her son devoid of attachment grew up day by day,
the queen taught him self knowledge by way of soothing him
And as lie attained strength and as he attained the senti

' Suppos ng a person go ng in a car h s car u on earth and h s bod/ 13
in the cat As none of these appertains to h s '»<*’’ is

not his self H s leal sell is w th n

mXrkandc\a pur<(nam

ments of his sire, so by help of his mother s speeches he
acquiret^ self-knowledge Haiing been indoctrinated thus
from his birth, that>\ise one, witfi bis heart unfettered by
attachment, did, not think of entering the life of the house-
holder She then gave hiTth to her second son, whose father
named him Suzahu, and thereat laughed And,

as before, by naj of soothing that noble minded one, she from
his infancy onnards instrocfcd him in the same kind of
knowledge And when the king called his third son as he
was born by (the name of) that fair browed

w cnch laughed for a long time And instructed m the same
way from his infancy onwards by that slender limbed lad^,
he grew without having any object of desire, and without
performing any acts of piety* And when her fourth son
was horn, the ruler of the Earth, wisliiiig lo give him a name,
gazed at ^fatialasi of pure ways, who smiled gently And,
as she was indulging m her smile, the monarch, somewhat
influenced by curiosity, addressed her, saying— -'As soon as
f have successively prepared to name (my sons), thou hast
laughed What is the reason of this ^ and 5«mA«

and Sairuffiarddana, which have been assigned by me, are,

I conceive, goodly names It is fit that K-shatnyas should
have names embodying ideas of the heroic spirit t But if
these do not find acceptance in tlij eight, then, O gentle
dame, do thou thyself assign a name to my fourth son ’
Thereat Madalasa- said ‘yovir commands must be obeyed by
me Therefore f will even assign a name to your fourth son
This righteous one shall attain, renown among men by the
nzxtis o\ Alarka , and this your youngest son shall also he
crowned with understanding' Hearing this rrjeaningless name

* Action accordinj: to the Hindu concept on inrolves rebirth ivbich is
looked upon as a grest^evil One atstaieing feoin action escapes this fate
and IS nit maleljr unified <r th (he One

t Viiranta means pissested «»/ fremtst Suvahu one having fotoer/ul
armt ^ni Satrumardiana the pounder of fort

172

mXrkandbya purXnam

assigned to his son by his mother, the protector of Earth,
laughing, observed 'O auspicious one, this name rtat thou
hast awarded to my son, is so out of place’ What is the
reason of this, Madalasa ? Madalasa- said '1 have assigned
this name in harmony with custom, and through fancy merel)
Listen, 0 king, to me unfolding the meaninglessness of the
names that}ou also have awarded (to your other sons) As
the wise say that the soul is ubiquitous, Krantt means
course from one place io another , but the sovereign of the
system,*' being omnipresent, doth not go (from one
another) Therefore, I conceive that this name of Vtkraittc
yields no meaning And, O lord of earth, by reason of the soul
having no form, the name of Sttv&hu, which jou ha% e assigned
to another son of yours, is also meaningless The name also
of Satrumarddana, which you have awarded to your third son,
IS also empty of meaning Listen to (me) giving the reison
When the self same soul resideth in e\ ery frame, then, 0 king,
who IS its friend, and who its enemy ? Elements destroy
elements But how can that be abolished which hath no
shape ? In consequence of anger, etc ,t seeming to be sepvaie,
this meaningless notion is conceived % If agreeably to usage
■such meaningless names may be conceived, wherefore then

doth the name of Alarha appvae nonsense in jour view ? §

* t* the soul

t The soul IS devoid of these passions

J t f iiiJividnali art Sf^arale This, however, it a conjecture The sense

IS hard to hit

i Tie personality of Ihc noble Madilati is precious in fhit i( furnshe*
us w th a glimse into the elevfteil intellectual all tude altalreil by llin'tu
lad es in anc eni limes Those vho infer the rnlcH fence and alls rments cf
the ancient Hindu* women from the condit on of the r benighted slslers
of the present day, are hopelessly dece ved AfaJjlaii healing a man,

and n sorereign and therefore presumably a person of high sense ml
eullure _ls prejnsnt Then she laiks ph losophv^nnd transcendental ph lo

sojihy^p„V, cf the body (ke ,«,| etc flow esgefly dors one In totge
peel «ti paragon I A patriotic beait caaeol help diUling with pride as ll

MiRK ^'^DEyA PURANAJJ

'73

Addressed thus m an €>10611006 speech bj Ins queen, the
monarch endued >\ith great intelligence said unto his beloved,
who had spoken the truth,— This is even so'— And>et on the
tair browed damsel being engaged as betore in educating her
youngest son in the matter of self knowledge, the monarch
addressed her saying, — ‘O foolish one, what art thou about ?
Thou art employed m bringing lU luck upon this son of mine as
thou hadst done in respect of my other sons, by indoctrinating
them into knowledge (hat brings about evil If thou must
dome what I wish, and if (hau accept my word, then do
thou lead this son of ours to the track of desire The
road of action ought not to be renounced , nor should the
funeral cake which should be offered to the manes of our
ancestors be withheld Agreeably to good or bad acts
ancestral manes repair to the celestial regions, become inferior
animals, or assume humanity or any other life On their being
afflicted by hunger or thirst and getting enfeebled in conse-
quence, men by constantly offering them the funeral cake and
oblations of water, bring rehef to the ancestral manes , and
m the same way gratify the deities and guests In fact,
gods, men, ancestral manes, spectres, guAj'a/fas* feathered
tribes, worms, insects all depend for their subsistence
on human agency 1 herefore, O slender framed one, do thou
impart such instructions to my snn as are appropriate
for a Kshatrtya and as compass one’s good both in this
world and the next ’ On being thus accosted by her
husband that exalted lady, by way of soothing her son named
Alarka, spoke to the latter saymp— ‘My son, do thou
grow j and by means of acts gratify my lord and bring beirefits
to friends and destruction to foes Blessed ^rt thou, O my
son, who, being rid of thy enemies wilt govern the earth for
a long space of time May all enjoy happiness by the

coni nues lovingly contemplating snebtop cs I fee (lie bee reposing onablossoin
and not departing tiRCd after be has completelj' extracted the liquid streets
• A sptces of seioi divine beings

174

mXrkandfva purAnam

merits of thj rule, — so that acquiring great religious
ment, thou mayst become immortal 3 Thou must^at every
pai va* heedfully satisfy BraJttnanas, accomplish the desires
of thy friends, do good ^ others, and abstain from outraging
the wives of others t ^By celebrating various sacrifices, thou
must propitiate the deities , by offering wealth in profusion,
thou must gratify Brahmanas, and bring delight to thy
friends , by bestowing various kinds of rare articles of enjoy-
ment, thou must gladden the hearts of ladies and by offer-
ing fight, thou must please thine enemies In boyhood thou
must gratify friends , in youth thou must gratify thy parents
by carrying out their commands, in manhood thou must
gratify ladies having noble ancestry as their ornament , and,
(finally), in old age, repainng to the woods, thou roust make
happy the hearts of people living in that locality Being
installed as sovereign, thou shoudst bring delight to thy
friends, protect the good, perform sacrifices, slay \Mcked
wights in battle for protecting kine and Brahmanas, and thus
secure to thyself a place m the celestial sphere

CHAPTER XXVII

JARA said — "'rtius soothed by his mother day after day,
the boy named Alaria grew up m age and intelligence
Then having arrived at youth, BifadAwaja'r wise son, having
had his investiture with the holy thread, bowing unto his

a tame g ven rtf cvnViV oiiyv nr OV •tnivr iWirrtV rtSr.W
change et! the maoa and lh« t {bth and fourteenth of each halt msrilh

t The marahtr ol th* time trust hate stood ^erf high cons dering that
Af^Uni being a mttHier eo»W speak so freely lo her ia<t Such a woman
certainly means no harm In (he world A Ilinda female o( today woutd not
dream cl acting as ilaJHati d i

76

M^RkANDEYA PURXNAM

slam by the Dwijai on account of his arrogance, Anayuta’s
son, Valtf meeting with destruction on account of overween-
ing self conceit, and Puranja losing his life through excess
of joy, one should cast off these passions The high souled
subduing these, subdued the entire earth Remember-
ing this, a king should renounce all these defects (of character)
He should learn lessons from the crow<«) the koktlaS^) the
black bee,W the hartjW the serpent,W the peacock//) the
swan,(?) the cockW and iron (*) In regard to his foe, a king
should act like worms eatingO") into things In season a king
should show the diligence of the ant,<^) and he should spread
hkc scmtiliations of fire or like the pods of the silk cotton tree
Resembling the sun and moon, a so\ereign governing the
earth, should learn wisdom from the proslitute/O the lotus, («),
the the suhka.ff) the uddersW of a pregnant

female, and the milk-woman (?) A monarch for purposes of

(n) A crow ti 0T«r active and alvrayj on the alert
(^) A kohla displays his perfections when the season arrives
(c) A bfiicti bee is given to accutnolatinj’ honey according to ftie author
The fact however is that it >s the tee and not the blaclr bee, that hives honey
(<f) A hart does not easily come ander the conltol o' its foe
(e) A serpent with a particle of poison brings down a big animal
(/) A pcacoefc d aptays its own beauty

(g) A swan sucks up milk an4 leaves out the water which has been mixed
with It

(0 A cock IS remarkaMe for using early as well as for protecting his

(0 Iron IS noted ftir rts hardness and the variety of use to which it can
be turned

(/) Worms eat into woMl Ihoat nny noise and fuss
{k) The ant is distinguished {or its thrift and seaicbing habits
(0 • The prostitute is noted for her capability of pleasing her paramour
Ttus It bevAy wt fw»a -uwi of yeif'ittw

(n) The iarava is celebrated for its strength
(a) The iulila entirely deprives one <d one s life

(f) The udders of a pregnant woman secAte milk for the future use of
her child

(?! A milkwoman by means o< milk alone produces various kiods ol
cdibler

\iXrk\ndcya purXnvm

177

government should adopt the ways of Sakra, the Son,
yama, the Jloon, and the Wind god As Jndra gratifies
creatures of the earth with shoners for four months, so a
king should please his people by means of self sacnlTce As
the Sun with lus rajs draws up water for eight monllis, so a
king by subtle means should oblam tribute, &C|frDm his subjects
As Jama afllicleth alike Uiuse he lovclh and those he bateth
when the hour has arrived, so the sovereign should be even
handed both to those liked by him, and to those disliked by
him, both to the wicked and the good That monarch truly be*
haves like the Moon in whose rule all the subjects become
happy, and experience dchg^t like that which persons derive
from beholding the Moon at the full As the air secretly
’ courses through everything soaking by means of spies should
keep htmseU acquainted with the thoughts and sentiments of
his citizens, counselors, and (nends That king whose mind
IS not mfiaeneed by covetousness, or lust, or wealth, or any
other cause, repaireth to the celestial regions That monarch
who brings back within the pale of their own religion foolish
people of wrong courses lapsing from their own morality, repairs
to the celestial regions The sovereign m whose kingdom
neither the morality of the orders nor that of the various modes
of life suffers deterioration, my child, attains eternal happi
ness here and m the world to come Even this is the prime
duty of a ruler of men, fraught with success, — to establish his
owm religion, and to be guided by the counsels of persons of
sage sense A monarch by assiduously governing his people,
attaining his end, is entitled to a ^lare of righteousness A
king who strives after protecting the four orders attains
happiness ’

23

178

m^rk\nde\apurXn\m .

CHAPTER XXVIlf

JARA Slid “Hearing these ttords of liis mother, Alarka
agim asked her concerning the monlity regulating the
orders as M cl! as that touching the \ arious modes of life And
AlarXci said, — ‘0 exalted lady, you have expounded to me the
morality concerning kings Non 1 wish to hear of that
touching the orders and the different modes of life ' Tlicreat
Maddlas^ replied 'Gifts, study and sacrifice are the duties of
a Brahmatia a fourth dut) he has none except carrjmg on
trade for subsistence The adequate means 0 / hjs subsistence
Ime been described as three, its, tuition, officiating at
sacrifices performed in a pore spirit, and receiving sanctified
gifts The duties of a Kshatriya have been described as
three , vis , gifts, study and sacrifice , and ruling the earth and
dealing lYith weapons are his subsistence The duties of a
are also three , wr , gifts, study and sacrifice, and
trade, keeping cattle, and agriculture are his subsistence
Gifts, sacrifice and serving the twice born classes' — these
three hav e been described by me as the duties of a Sudra ,
and handicrafts, tending the other orders, keeping cattle, and
buying and selling are his subsistence I have de'^enbed to
thee the morality of the orders I will now treat of the
duties relating to the various inodes of life {as described by the
Hindu scriptures) By obgerving the morality of the orders
and >ot lapsing therefrom a person attains success , but when
one acts m contravention of the same, one goes to hell O

juin so lon^ as a pfjisao h/jAt^j.1^ if* svM*

orders has not been invested with fh.e holy thread so long he
can net speak, or ent at h»s wish WhA such n one Aas been
properly invested with the holy thread he must dwell m the
abod* of his spiritual preceptor ts A/fraAmacdan I will speak

MXRKANDnVA PURXNAM

Tjg

of his duties Do thou listen Studying the Veda, tending
the fire, going about begging,^ eating meals with the preceptor’s
permissio^n after having previously dedicated the food to
him, promptitude m the preceptor's concerns, pleasing him
completely, entering upon study agreeably to the summons
of the preceptor, zctiMty in his behalf, and concentration
of mind upon him, are the duties of the Brahmachari
Having obtained one, two, or all the Vedas from the lips
of the preceptor, one having bowed down unto his feet
and liaving received bis permission, should oJTer him the
Dakshina, Then a person, wishing to enter the life of the
householder, should do so, or if he wishes to enter the
V<3.naprasiha* mode of life, he may enter it , or the twice-
born one may stay on m his preceptor's abode, taking austere
religious exercises Casting off all sense of self importance, he
should stay as a Byahmaehart, ministering to hts preceptor's
son :n the absence of his preceptor, or his preceptor's
disciples m the absence of his preceptor’s son Then depart-
ing from his preceptor’s abode, he, with the Mew of entering
the life of the householder, should, for the purpose of leading
a household life,t duly espouse a girl belonging to a
different race,J: free from disease, and having no distorted
limb Acquiring wealth by his own cTcrtions, the householder
should reverentially gratify the deitie^ ancestral manes and
guests, and support those seeking his shelter He should to
the measure of his power, iliaintain with meals senants,
sons, persons m distress (he blind tie fallen beasts and
birda Cvcnthis is the moiality ^ok the liouscholdcr He

• Ijna tcUl ng to the wood* aiKl rratlAe who foei The woflJ thu:

compounded tneans e i ft >ti {hr woodt

t Thii pleonasm occurs in the leit aod I render fiie passos* in ilnei
Edel tjr to the original

; The marc u£e q( a btidefroom ani a bride belofij^ n; to the same, ice
{t hiTin; the Jicre snc^slrj on the patctnil tide ii ilrictl}r fotb ddtn
Irreipretive of the decree o( rrniove Irons ihe orlgiaiJ eoRin n teestlit Thii
broiJ y diilln£aisb«s Uisdi espUils trcm LBioptio c^ei

JfXRkXNDCVA Pl/nXNASf

tSa

should know Ills \\ ifc while in her season, and should to the
best of Ills power celebrate the five Kinds of sacrifices*
Honoured (of men), lie should, in proportion to his* wealth,
feed with his servants on what remains after the ancestral
manes, the guests and the Kinsmen have eaten Thus have
I explained unto thee the morality of the householder. I iviIJ
now speak to thee about the Vonaprastha mode of life
Do attend Seeing the condition of his children as well as the
deterioration of his own body, a wise person should betake
himself to the woods for the purpose of purifying hts soul
There living on wild fruits, he should improve himself by
means of asceticism , and he should sleep on the earth, practise
BraJmacharya, perform acts in behalf of his ancestral
manes, the deities and guests, offer oblations to fire, bathe
thnce,wear bark and a head of matted hair, constantly practise
Yoga, and teed on the unctuous products of woods He
should thus lead the Vannprostha life for removing his sms
and advancing his soul Die mode of hfe (called) Bhtkshu
IS the final stage of \ man My child, do thou learn from
me the characteristics of this fourth condition as they have
been described by high souled righteous persons In it a
person should renounce all companies practise Brakutac/farya,
banish anger, mortify his senses, should not stay at one place
for a long time, renounce acts eat once only on whatever hath
been obtained through begging, desire self Knowledge, and
attain an insight into his soul Thus have I described unto
thee the morality of the fourth condition of life Do tliau
now listen to me trea±«>g of in a general way the morality
regulating other orders and modes of life Truth, purity,
freedom [rotn dl will immunity from envy forgiveness, renun-
cuitina of crueltyv hberalit^^ arid. tb/i c.’.gbiii

* Vti Brahma Daiva Bhula Nrt and Ptfrt Brahma cons;st3 of
iuition of oflfcrings (0 tlie File AIifAi of making food offerings to ail

beings Nt% of enterUining gB«sts, and /’tfri of making watery oblations to
ancestral manes

M^RKANdE%A PURj^NAM

iSi

quality, these eight are the general characteristics of both—
morality of the orders and of the modes of life Tiiusha^e
I succinftly described unto thee the duties pertaining to
both the species of morality Every one should completely
abide by the morality of the orders and of the modes of life
that properly belong to htm TTie person ^ho overrides the
duties of bis own order and mode of life, and acts contrary to
their spirit, renders himself liable to chastisement from the
sov ereign If a man n ho renmmemg his nafiv e morahtj .commits
a sin, goes unpunished by the monarch, then his if/i/a and
piirtta come to naught Therefore the king should carefully
establish every order m Its own morality, and visit it with
punishment whenever it goes astra) ’

CHAPTER XXJX

‘ Do thou dul> tell me, who ask thcc what acts should be
performed by a householder, which b) leaving undone one
comclh bj confinement, — ^and winch doing one nttaineih
liberation — that which is for the welfare of men whu should
be eschew ed by a good mao in his home, and what should
^discharged

Metiafasa said 'My child adopting a household hfo, a
person nounslicth thiscntireuniiersc^ andthercbj conquereth
the wished for worlds The anccsfral manes ascciics djitics,
spectres, humanity wonns insects winged* and wingless,
birds, beasts and ^suraj, draw upon the IfUuscJiolder, and
thonce attain gratificatJOnZ/rimking iff fic give or not,
— (eicoonc) gaicth, at the face of a liouscbolder M) son,

» Ar J and Ai/J'f/rf I preroa-r cseu mpeetlrd/ laJ m a£td

loMCU

102

MARKANDCVA PURANAM

this (mode of life) is the stay of all, — it is the Triune^ co■^^V
on which IS the universe established, and which is the ciiise
of the cosmos The Bich is her back, the Yayus is he? middle^
and the Satnan is her face and neck , istha and piirtha are her
horns , the excellent sukia\ is her down , santi and pitshtiX
ire her excreta and anne, and the orders and modes of
life are her development Understanding the universe, she
knoweth no deterioration nor ^vaste My son, so-nha snadha,
vazhat, and hanta are her four udders The deities always
draw the nipple zv-aha , the ancestral manes, the nipple
SToadho. , the ascetics, the nipple vazhat , all except the deities,
spectres, and ^ human beings, the nipple hanta %

Thus, rny child, doth the Triune cow gratify (all beings) The
man that destroys these is guilty of a deadly sin^and is plunged
in Tamtfra and Andhatamfra The man that at the
proper time makes her calves, the immortals, drink her milk,
atfaineththe cefestial regions Therefore, my son, it behoveth
every human being to maintain deities, ancestral manes,
mortals and ghosts even ^s he sustaineth his own body lor
this reason, having bathed and purified himself, a person with
intent mind should seasonably offer watery oblations to
deities ancestral manes and Projapti After worshipping the
deities with sandal and perfumed a man should

worship Fire, and then he should offer edibles In a room
a person should throw to the east and north food offerings
intended for Brahma, the Vifjadetes and Dhanantari |[
The food offering designed for Sakta should be placed in

* I r the cow composed ot^beMHree iiiincipal iedai— \ayut and
•It an*

t ^Kila is a kind of I rJie re) fioos tormala

t Two o! the I Iteen JlilriHtoT f^attk 4«ties whose nimes are Cawr/

^aJmS Sadit tteJH BSvilrt I tja/ri Jofi, Oirojrnif fiaarfAJ SaiAJ,

•5 1 It// Pushli ZIAn// and Tuihti

f These are mystical excUiDSUuos accofflpanyiHf patlicular obtitlons to

tb« Tre

I Th« lliodu Esculapias

mSrkandeya purXnaM

184

As Projcpati himself Because a guest does not indeed stay
for days together, he goes by the name of atitln* When
a guest 13 satisfied, the householder is freed from his debt
connected with nriyajna That sinful person who feedeth
himself without feeding his guest, reapeth iniquity entirelyj
and liveth on dung in the life to come The guest that, being
disappointed, turneth away from a person’s house, goes away
giving the householder all his sins and taking away all
his religious merit A man should warmly entertain a
guest to the best of Kis power with water, herbs or any
other thing which he himself eats A person should always
perform srtddha with water and edibles on behalf of bis
ancestral manes, and feed one or more Bfahtnanas Taking
off a quantity of rice from the unextracted whole, one should
offer the same to a Brahmana , and one should give alms unto
soliciting mendicants and BrahmackS,ns A mouthful of nee is
called binkska, and four mouthfuls, arghya, and lour arghyat
m'lke up a hanta Without oHermg /iaMia,argkya or bhikshA
agreeably to one s power, one should not take one s meal
After having entertained guests, one should feed one g kinsmen
*ind friends, suiters, boys, old folks, the diseased, and
destitute people afllicted with hunger, asking for meals If a
person has wealth, he should even feed people who are
competent If a prosperous person oppresses a kinsman who
also IS crowned wuh prosperity, he reaps the sms of the latter
This course IS also to be followed in the evening When a
guest presents himself about sunset, he should to the best
of one s power be entertaieicd with a seat, fooding and a bed
If a person thus bcarelh the burthen of a household
life, friends (Jcitics ancestral manes, Maharshts, guests,
beasts birds and minute worms, being gratified, bring about
his welfare The cinmently pious Atri sang a gatha in
this cownecUon Do thou, O highly* iighlcows one, heat

* l.lt 1 ? I, p«r|>rtu«tlJ^ on ihc a uve and ihai ilpc> nat rr-ii ot wn«

place lar lang

mXrkandeya purXs’am.

tlie same having the household life for its Uieine. When a
householder has wealth, then, worshipping deities, ancestral
manes, guests, friends, kindred, and fais spiritual preceptor, he
should offer food on the ground in behalf of birds, swapachas
and dogs. The Vai'tyadeva ceremony should be performed
in the morning and in the evening. A man should not talv<?
any flesh, rice, herbs or any other (culinary) articles uJu'ch
may be in his house, without duly offering a portion of them
(to guests)."'

CHAPTER XXX.

"‘The duties of a householder divide themseK cs Into three
classes, vis , nitya* naimitlika,^ and nitya'naimxltikft. Do
thou, my son, hear me describing them Tliosc rites pertaining
to the five sacrifices, which I haic told thee of, go under the
name of »j/ya The ceremonies that are performed on tJiu
birth of a son, as well as others, ace called naimtttiJia
Sraddhas on &c , (should be known by the learned)

as nitya-nainuttika Those natal ceremonies that art
performed on the birth of a son, should also in due order
be performed on the occasion of bis bridal^ In the (ceremony)
named the ancestral manes should be proptrl)

worshipped Sitting with his face towards the north or the
east, the sacrificcr, with h»s mind concentrated, should tffer
ptridaf consistta^; of barley and cards Some freopfe are of
opinion tli.it this ceremony dors not include Vatoadna
In this ceremony a couple of should be worshipped,

niter round* hive been performed about them flits is slj led

i86

mXrkandeya purXnam

Vnddht sraddke itaimiitika Do thou hear of Aurddha-
dehtka ek''ddishta, which must be cel^brated in behalf of
a person on the day of his death This ceremony 'does not
desiderate any worship of divinities, any invocation, or
offerings unto the fire , only Au(a should be used m it Near the
leavings a pinda should be offered to the departed spirit ,
and remembering his name, one should pour water with
scssamum seeds The uater «ith the scssamum seeds
shouM he Ihroivn at the spot vherc the iufa made
Brahmana has been left, with the saying 'Maytbis (offering)
never be wasted, and may he be gratified with it •' and they*
will reply, ‘We have been gratified ' Every month of one year
people should go through this ceremony When the year
has run out, or m hen one finds opportunity for \t,sapinilikarana
should be performed I shall tell thee about the rules of this
ceremony In it also there is no norship of the gods, there
are no offerings to the fire, nor is there any invocation Only
an arghya and ku^a are to be offered The (ptndaj being put
on the right, an odd number of Brahmanas should be fed
Another peculiarity of this ceremony is this that extra rites
should be performed every month Do thou listen to me with
concentration concerning this as I tell thee of it My son,
four vessels containing sessamum seeds and fragrant water
should he placed, — three for the ancestral manes and one
for the departed An arghya as well as the vessel intended
for the departed should be washed oter the three vessels
intended for the ancestral manes Then reciting the formulm
TusavKina etc , the cerqpiony should be wound up This
tkoUdiihta has also been prescribed m the case of women,
but when they haie no son, they are not entitled tc
sapotdikaratia Men should tivcty year pcrfoxin ihe ckoildxshla
m behalf of females , md as m the case of a man, the ceremony
should be dul) performed on the da} 4f a woman’s death In

ttw Briil

RfXRKAfTOEVA PURXNAM.

.87

the absence of a sonjthe riles should be perfottned by sn/indas,*
and In the absence of sapindas, they shouM be performed
by sahodakas'\ Those that are a mother’s and

those that are a mother’s sahodakas should act according
to these injunctions ; and a person who is without a son,
should have his rites performed by his daughter’s son. A
daughter's son should in this way celebrate the rites for his
mother’s sire. This ceremony is designated Dv>yamusyayana,
A mother’s father as well as a father’s father should be duly
worshipped by means of natmtllika-sraddhcis. In want of any
other relative, wives should perform this Ceremony in behalf
of'their husbands without the mterventcou of any formula?.
In want of a wife, the king should have the burning rites
of the departed adequately performed by one of hfs own
relatives or persons of the same caste , inasmuch as the king
IS the friend of all the orders Thus, 0 child, have I described
to thee the nttya and natmtliika ntes Now do thou hearken
to a description of the other kinds of and
ceremonies as connected with the syhddha The time
when the Moon undergoes waste, is called aarfo , and this is
the occasion of these rites, and ensures their permanance.’"

CHAPTER XXXI.

‘“A FATHER’S great-grandare lb 'net entitled iosapindS-
kara7t!tT!XTii being a lepabhiija,X he isdepnved of the paternal

* 1 1 (tiose entillcd (o offer tbe fupcrat ci&e m l&ehatf of a deceased
person

t Those entilhd to offer ^ateiT- obktioRs K» the maoes of an ancestor.

t ir the From wipings ot the hand which has offered

funeral obUnons to lUe Ihree auceslors,— iAtyo-— eating TbiS is a
dcsigoalion ol a paternal ancestor ot (he fouitS, £lth, 9r«iz(J] degree.

m<Crk v\Dr\ \ n,RX\ \^r

fitnclit Of ificsc lip tint IS of the fourth degreennd lint fccdetli
on llic/<vi(7'incl nee clue from a son.hntli no relatmn ^^lnte^cr,
and S', simpl) entitled to 1 bare cn) 03 mcnt (of the >:dibles)
These llircc, the fithcr, the grind father ind the great grand-
father, must be known as entitled to the ptnda Those three
.intcstoTS bc>ond the grind fithcr s grand fithcr, arc entitled
to the Icpa , and of these the sicrificcr counts is se\enth
The ascetics hive pointed out this sevenfold relationship
Those (forefathers) tint precede the sacnflccr, ire entitled to
anulcpa Do thou,mj son listen to me describing the different
staddltas b) du)} celebrating uliich the sacnficer should
gritifj tbose ancestors preceding (those mentioned), those
living in hell, those turned into beasts ind those abiding in
*fpcetrcs and other bemge Those that hue been turned
into spectres, receive gntificition from the food that is
scattered on the earth 0 my little son, those that have been
turned into trees, attim gntification from the water drops
tint fall to the ground from wet clothes Those that have
been classed as deities altiin gratification from the particles
of water that fall from a person s body to the ground Those
that hive become beasts, are gratified with the particles of
food that drop to the earth on the occasion of the raising of
the piiida TJiose girls thit albeit worthy of performing rites
have rot received those of sanctification in their race — and
that have been burnt to death (in this condition) live on
food happening to he scattered and water dripping from a
broom Others receive gratification from the water which a
Dwija sips after his meai qnd with which he has washed his
feet Thus 0 child turned into other beings the ancestors
of those that celebrate th-ir sradd/ias attain refreshment
irom the food o^r water pure or otherwise that may come to
be cast by lb'* sacrificers or Dwt/as IF one celebrates ilie
sre-ddha of one s ancestor with money obtained from another
then he finds gratification if he happens to ln\e become a
Cband \la or a Pu>kasa Thus my child many an ancestor is

mXrka\de\a purXnam

entertained ulth the meats and drmLs that are ofFered by hi
kindred on the occasion of tlie sraddha (performed in Iv
bolialf) * Therefore people should, according to the prescrif
tion, perform the sraddka^ albeit it be vlth herbs merely
no ancestor of one performing the sraddka ever sufferet
privation I will now speak to thee anent the seasons c
celebrating and Natmitttka rites, — and do thou als'

Joarn the procedure m nhicli peoptc should perform them Oi
the Moon having waned, srdMAa should be performed during
the day of the New Moon as also during the eighth lunar day o
the dark foriniglit {i« the monthof Paiith etc) Do thou knoii
the optional seasons (for the ceremony) If a good Brdhmam
IS available, and if the necessary articles can be secured, s
sraddha should be volontarily performed on the eclipse of the
Sun or Moon, during a half year, during the equinox,Uunngthe
passage of the Sun through the zodiac, on the occurrence of a
portent, on the sight of an evil dreram, on the ascension of the
natal star, or during the malign inilucnue of any planet An
accomplished person, a Srolrtja* a one versed in the

and singing the y^eshiha Samatt, one versed in the
three Upantskixds\ of Nacktketo ., — he that is acquainted with
the three Madhus the three and the six

a daughter s son, a pnesl, a son in Ian, a sisters son, ora
father in law , he that is engaged in the performance of the
seven fire-rites , he that is employed on asceticism a mother s
brother , a person devoted to his parents , a disciple , a wife’s
brother, and a relative,— thes^ when they are excellent Divtjas,
— are competent to perform the ^raddha My son, a /?wyiz
that hath not practiced the Brahmacharya that is diseased,
that hath extra hmbs or is without the natural number of
limbs, that is born of a twice married female, that is nithout
an eye, that is the illegitimate oiFspnng of a woman whose

* Ose MongiBg to a particular school ol Ibe Vrdas
t The pb,}e»op)i>ca1 parts of Ibe leios
t Dranebes of the

husband is living or of a woman whose husband is dead, my
son, that hath rebelled against his friends, that hath diseased
nails, that is impotent, that is furnished vith dSrk and
tanny teeth, that hath an mfenor figure, that hath been
cursed by his sire, that is crooked minded or malicious, that
sells Soma, that hath stained his daughter, that practises
medicine, that hath renounced his father and spiritual guide,
that teaches on a salary, that is an enemy, that is the
husband of a woman who was previously the wife of* another,
that hath given up the Veda or fire, that is wedded to a
girl of twelve who hath her menstrual flow, that is stained,
or that hath been guilty of transgressions,— shfiulil be
renounced on the occasion of the performance of paternal
funeral rites The aforementioned best of Brakmanas should
be invited on the previous day, and they should be employed
as well in paternal as in divine rites These should hold
themselves in restraint, — as also he that hath to perform the
ceremony The paternal ancestors of that person who knows
a woman after dispensing gifts in a sraddha, and taking
Ills meal, repose on his semen for a good month But the
forefathers of him that repaireth to a and taketh his

meal after knowing a woman, live on urine and semen fora
month together Therefore a wise person should first invite
people Even if Brahmanas should not be had, persons that
have associated with women, must not be accepted One should
m due time attentively feed self controlled ascetics come for
alms, after gratifjing them with rdicisance, etc As the dark
fortnight IS more liked by the ancestral manes than tlie
light One, so the afternoon is more agreeable to them than the
forenoon Respectfully welcoming the Dieijas tint have
come to a person’s house, — he should, with his hinds plirifiecl,
.wv?.V^ .hhAW hsve sopped J.lvn£w.v

In a paternal ceremony an odd number of Accomplished Drttjas,
in a div me ceremonj an ev en number of accomplished Dj. tjas,
should be appointed , but a person ma), having regard to his

Mi(RKA'4DCVA purXnam

I9I

porter, employ a single Brahmana as m ell in paternal as* m
di%mc rites This also is the course to be Followed in rites
perform'^d in behalf of the manes of a mother’s sire, — as also
m Vat^yadeva Some {leople nould Iia\e a different course in
respect of these ceremonies Dirine rites should be perform-
ed with a person’s face towards the east, and paternal rites
with his face towards the-norlh And this /<? the latter, is
also the course prescribed by men of understanding Having
handed for seats, a wise one should worship them*

arghyas, etc Offering a rope of packthread, a wise
Dxja, taking their permission, should mioke Ihe deities with
relitrioift fortmilie Having offered an arghya consistingof
harleyand water m behalf of the f'lfaarfrrirr, one, dedicating
wreaths, dhupus, lamps, and water,— should on the right side
perform ali the paternal rites Then offering a double quantity
of darbhaA and taking their permission, a wise person should
invoke his ancestral manes, reciting certain religious formtil®
0 eminently pious one, intent on compassing the pleasure
of his paternal manes, he should on the right dedicate an
nrg/;y« of baric) mixed with sessame Then desired by the
Dvotjas^a perform the fire tiles, with — Do jou do the fire-
rites, — he should, as enjoined, offer onto the Fire nee devoid
of curries and ashes ‘To the bearer of Kavya,\ Fire,— ftiiiAa ’
This IS the first oblation Then with ‘To the Moon having
‘pitris s's.a.ha — must the second oblation be offered Then
uttering — To Ycma, lord of the dead, rzya^a'— must the third
oblation be offered What remains after the obUtions have
been offered, should be made over to the vessels of the twice-
born ones ‘Do JOU agreeably to yonr wish feed on this,’— these
words should be sweetly addressed to them and they with
intent minds will silently feed on their fare d^reeably to their

* t r tb« Br^Kmanas
t A species of jrass used in sacred rites
t An oferiQg of food to deceased aecestors

^HAVAN’S LIBRARY

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